breaking new ground in global collaboration 2011arrow annual report 2011 6 about arrow...

Breaking New Ground in Global Collaboration

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This report was prepared with inputs from members of ARROW staff, Programme Advisory Committee and Board of Directors.

Coordinated and edited byMaria Melinda Ando

Co-coordinated and proofread bySuloshini Jahanath

Written byAradhana Takhtani

Design byChimera Sdn. Bhd.

Layout byTM Ali Basir

Cover Photo:From the photostream of Babasteve (Flickr, Creative Commons)

Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW)1 & 2 Jalan ScottBrickfields, Kuala Lumpur50470 MalaysiaTel +603-2273-9913/4Fax +603-2273-9916Email [email protected] www.arrow.org.myFacebook The Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW)

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Contents

About ARROW

Message from the Executive Director: 2011 Achievements and Way Forward

Information and Communications for Change: Towards Knowledge and Action

Monitoring and Research for Advocacy

Cohesive Advocacy Partnerships for SRHR

Global and Regional Advocacy and NetworkingOrganisational Development

Who Supports Us

Who We Are

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Mother & child in Bhutan. Source: Photostream of Babasteve (Flickr, Creative Commons)

arrow annual report 2011

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About ARROW gender-sensitive and rights-based services for sexual reproductive health that are accessible,4 equitable, just and of the highest quality.

b. Women’s movements5 and civil society6 are strong and effective in:

• Influencing policy agenda on women’s health, sexuality and rights;

• Holding governments and donors accountable to international and national commitments; and

• Gaining sustained representation on decision-making structures.

c. Women’s lives and health7 outcomes improve, particularly in the area of SRHR, especially those poor and marginalised.

THEMATIC AREAS AND CRITICAL ISSUES OF WORK Overarching Themes:

• Women’s empowerment and gender equality• Affirmative sexuality

Critical Issues:Within the above ambit, ARROW seeks to address the following issues:• Universal access to quality sexual and reproductive health

services • Universality of sexual and reproductive rights• The socio-economic determinants of health and well-being • Emerging issues affecting SRHR, such as climate change,

disasters and conflict

STRATEGYARROW believes in the power of effective collaborations to make a difference in women’s lives, including their SRHR. Our partners are seen as integral to our structure, and capacity building initiatives with them are seen as an important mechanism to facilitate their effective participation in achieving our goals.

Our work programme strategies are:• Information and communications for social change• Monitoring and research for evidence-based advocacy

ARROW is a regional non-profit women’s NGO co-founded in 1993 by Rashidah Abdullah and Rita Raj. It enjoys a consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations and is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

VISIONAn equal, just and equitable world where every woman enjoys her full sexual and reproductive rights.

MISSIONARROW promotes and defends women’s1 rights and needs,2

particularly in the areas of health and sexuality, and reaffirms their agency3 to claim these rights.

LONG-TERM OBJECTIVESARROW’s goals will be met when:a. Systems, policies and programmes are reoriented to:• Uphold gender equality and sexual and reproductive

health and rights (SRHR); and• Ensure that health systems deliver comprehensive,

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• Building and strengthening partnerships for advocacy• Organisational development

STRUCTURE• ARROW is governed by a Board of Directors, comprised

of five committed members with experience in leading women’s organisations.

• ARROW’s programmes are implemented by highly-qualified paid staff members from its office in Kuala Lumpur, with specific contributions from project-based consultants and occasional interns. There were 17 full-time staff positions in 2011.

• ARROW’s operations are overseen by the management team, led by the Executive Director and supported by Finance cum Administration Manager and two Programme Managers.

• The Programme Advisory Committee (PAC), a committed set of activists knowledgeable about SRHR issues in the region, provides programme advice and sets direction for action.

REACH AND COVERAGEARROW works with a core set of national partners across Asia and the Pacific, as well as with regional partners from Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean, and with allied international organisations. Through our information and communications and advocacy programmes, we are able to reach key stakeholders in more than 120 countries worldwide.

Endnotes

1. All women, especially those who are most marginalised and socially excluded.

2. Some needs are not covered by rights; we define `needs’ differently from the `welfare’ approach.

3. Agency entails the ability to act on one’s own behalf and exercise informed choices. This term encapsulates and symbolises elements like empowerment, capacity, ability, claiming rights and being agents of change. This can be collective or individual.

4. Accessible geographically,as well as in terms of opening hours,cost of services and providers who are gender-sensitive, youth-friendly and attuned to the needs of users.

5. This includes the full diversity of women’s movements, including grassroots and Southern voices.

6. Civil society here refers to organisations representing groups that are marginalised or discriminated against, and do not include religious bodies and private sector organisations.

7. Women’s health as defined in the International Conference on Population and Development’s Programme of Action.


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Message from the Executive Director:2011 Achievements and Way Forward

At the same time, the year 2011 was marked by incidents that both shocked and also raised hopes for a better future. We witnessed one of the most devastating disasters in the Asia and Pacific region, with Japan facing a triple assault of an earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear crisis that resulted in 16,000 deaths and an estimated $300 billion in reconstruction costs. Another tragic occurrence in 2011 was the Norway killing spree where a single gunman armed with misguided beliefs, claimed many innocent lives.

Sparked by the self-immolation of a trader in Tunisia, symbolising unrest due to high unemployment and corruption, 2011 witnessed the ‘Arab Spring’—a people’s revolt across Middle East and North Africa, resulting in regime change in Egypt and Libya. Protests also exploded across Europe in Greece, Italy and Spain due to unprecedented financial crisis, while the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement in the United States captured the imagination of many who also started their own ‘occupy’ movements.

These events only helped demonstrate to ARROW that deepening inequality and inequity between and within countries, the lack of viable democracies, and the rise of social justice movements in response to these, will become key, defining political issues in the upcoming years.

While there is a call across many countries worldwide for greater economic equality and for greater democratic governance, it is important to examine how these developments work out for women and their broader socio-economic-political rights, as well as their sexual and reproductive rights. This is an opportunity to mainstream the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) agenda within a broader call of inequality and inequity; as data demonstrate sexual and reproductive health outcomes are largely influenced by gender inequality and inequity.

In order to respond to this opportunity, ARROW pushed boldly forward on the global and regional SRHR agenda in 2011.

LOOKING BACKThe global SRHR movement went into 2011 with renewed expectations of commitment from governments, NGOs, donors and UN agencies towards the Cairo agenda. In December 2010, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution that called for an extension of the Programme of Action (PoA) of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD, also called Cairo) beyond 2014 to ensure its follow-up until all goals are fully met.

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KEY ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2011For ARROW, the year 2011 saw us breaking new grounds in creating platforms for global and regional collaborations, including for monitoring of and advocacy for the International Conference on Population and Development Programme of Action(ICPD PoA) and to address religious extremisms. It was also a year of wide and extensive distribution of its research findings and publications.

Global Monitoring and Advocacy on SRHR

Global South ICPD Monitoring: ARROW initiated global monitoring of the ICPD Programme of Action across five regions in the global South: Africa, Middle East and North Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Asia and Pacific region. We are working with the World YWCA, the Egyptian Institute for Personal Rights (EIPR), the Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) and the Central and Eastern European Network for Women’s SRHR (ASTRA) to implement this initiative.

Global Interfaith and Secular Alliance (GISA): Working for Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights: ARROW co-convened this global initiative, set up to oppose the negative impact of religious extremism on the full realisation of reproductive and sexual health and rights, with international organisation Catholics for Choice (CFC). This platform is particularly critical as SRHR advocates prepare for the 20-year reviews of the ICPD and Beijing agendas, as well as the conclusion of the MDGs.

Global and Regional Advocacy on SRHR: At key global and regional events, ARROW promoted and advanced evidence-based global South SRHR agenda. These included making an oral statement at the 44th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development in April 2011 in New York on the theme, “Fertility, reproductive health and development.” ARROW also shared its work on SRHR issues with diverse stakeholders dealing with broader macroeconomic issues at the Fourth UN Conference on the Least-Developed Countries (LDC-IV) in Istanbul in May 2011. At this global meeting, the

ARROWs for Change editorial on `repoliticising funding’ was featured at the Civil Society Forum Bulletin and distributed to the participants. At the regional level, ARROW facilitated the Sub-regional Campaign on Access to Sexuality Education and Reducing Teen Pregnancies in the Mekong Region, a creative initiative to engage young people through social media.

Women’s Health and Rights Advocacy Partnerships (WHRAP)

WHRAP-South Asia: In 2011, WHRAP expanded from four countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan) to eight, with the addition of Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. The WHRAP modality expansion undertaken by DFPA through its global programme also saw the inclusion of East African countries of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The South Asia and East Africa WHRAP will have a learning and sharing relationship. At the regional level, through its partners, WHRAP-South Asia directly and indirectly reached out to nearly 145,065 people—majority of whom are grassroots women. Positive changes were achieved in health service delivery with grassroots women themselves taking part in advocacy and monitoring. WHRAP-South Asia was also able to make important linkages with key stakeholders, including making direct connections with the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Secretary General. (www.whrap.org)

WHRAP-Southeast Asia (WHRAP-SEA): ARROW is the only women’s organisation in the region that delivers a focused initiative addressing the issues of young people’s sexuality in South East Asia. Through this initiative,we were able to connect with 34,000 marginalised young people in Cambodia, China, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The year 2011 also marked WHRAP-SEA’s expansion in Burma. Some highlights of successful local and national-level advocacy include the successful inter-generational lobby to facilitate young people’s free access to SRH services in Siem Riep, Cambodia, resulting in the provision of free SRH services for young people. In Indonesia, the local government of Indramayu in West Java has begun to replicate a programme for young people’s


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SRHR. SRHR curriculums for ethnic groups at the Lao-Burma and China-Burma border areas have been developed with active participation by the ethnic youth. A community-based research on young women’s unintended pregnancies in urban poor communities of Metro Manila has helped give evidence for advocacy to enact the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines. Finally, factory workers’ unions in Hanoi, Vietnam have now included sessions on providing SRHR information to young factory workers in four factories.(www.srhr4youth.org)

Strategic Information and Communications

ARROW SRHR Knowledge Sharing Centre (ASK-us): Formerly known as the Information and Documentation Centre (IDC), our resource centre has been re-branded to better describe its activities and services.

ASK-us served close to 7,557 users in 2011, including students, researchers, activists, journalists, health professionals, individuals from health ministries and others from mainly the Asia and Pacific region, Europe and North America. ASK-us initiated the creation of a knowledge hub to support WHRAP-SEA partners’ research and advocacy work (http://youthsextion.wordpress.com/) and provided research support to the global South ICPD PoA monitoring initiative.

Website: ARROW’s website (www.arrow.org.my) continued to grow as an information portal and an advocacy tool for SRHR stakeholders. In 2011, we received more than 1.3 million hits and the number of ARROW’s visitors saw a 53.6 % jump. All ARROW publications are posted on ARROW’s website, (www.arrow.org.my/index.php/publications.html), recording 34,587 downloads in 2011.

Social Media: To serve as a platform of dynamic communication and interaction with its ‘fans,’ ARROW created a page on the social network site, ‘Facebook’ under the name, The Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW) in mid-April 2011.

SRHR Info Resources: In 2011, 20 issues of ARROW’s e-news service, SRHR Info Resources, were shared with more than 1,869 global recipients, including activists, researchers, NGOs, UN agencies, government agencies and donors.

ARROWs for Change (AFC) Bulletin and Translations: ARROW published three AFC bulletins in 2011. Vol. 16 Nos. 1 & 2 took a critical look at the MDGs and shared some proposals for the post-2015 development framework; Vol. 17 No. 1 tackled repoliticising financing and re-energising political support for SRHR; and Vol. 17 No 2 examined the health sector response to gender-based violence and SRHR (printed in mid-January 2012).

We also co-produced five high-quality translations of AFC issues in Bahasa Indonesia, Filipino, Lao, Mandarin and Tongan. Selected articles from the AFC were also translated into Chinese and Spanish by other organisations. A total of 22,600 copies of new AFC bulletins and translations were printed in 2011, with another 8,000 copies for another AFC issue printed in mid-January 2012. (www.arrow.org.my/index.php/publications/arrows-for-change.html)

Women, SRHR and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) Initiative: In collaboration with the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), ARROW implemented the ‘Women, SRHR and NCDs’ initiative, a ground-breaking work establishing the links between diabetes and women’s SRHR.

Other Publications: In 2011, ARROW produced four publications compiling regional overviews and national level case studies on specific SRHR issues in Asia. The Reclaiming & Redefining Rights Thematic Studies Series focused on these topics: Sexuality and Rights in Asia, Pathways to Universal Access to Reproductive Health Care in Asia, Reproductive Autonomy and Rights in Asia, and Maternal Mortality Morbidity in Asia.

The series accompanies the comprehensive regional ICPD+15 monitoring report published by ARROW in 2009.

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ARROW KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTS IN 2011

ARROW Monitoring Reports, Researches, Issue and Briefing Papers1. Reclaiming & Redefining Rights—Thematic Studies

Series 4: Maternal Mortality and Morbidity in Asia2. Reclaiming & Redefining Rights—Thematic Studies

Series 3: Reproductive Rights and Autonomy in Asia3. Reclaiming & Redefining Rights—Thematic

Studies Series 2: Pathways to Universal Access to Reproductive Health Care in Asia written by T.K.S. Ravindran

4. Reclaiming & Redefining Rights—Thematic Studies Series 1: Sexuality & Rights in Asia

ARROWs for Change Issues (http://arrow/index.php/publications/arrows-for-change.html)1. Vol. 17 No. 2: Gender-based Violence & Sexual &

Reproductive Health & Rights: Looking at Health Sector Response in the Asia and the Pacific Region

2. Vol. 17 No. 1: Repoliticising Financing; Re-energising Political Support for SRHR

3. Vol. 16 Nos. 1 & 2: The MDGs: A Critical Look and Some Proposals for the Post-2015 Development Framework

ARROWs for Change Translations1. Vol. 15 Nos. 2 & 3: 15 Years After Cairo: Taking Stock,

Moving Forward in the Asia and the Pacific (Bahasa Indonesia Edition)

2. Vol. 15 Nos. 2 & 3: 15 Years After Cairo: Taking Stock, Moving Forward in the Asia and the Pacific (Mandarin Edition)

3. Vol. 13 No. 2: Why Affirm Sexuality? (Lao Edition)4. Vol. 12 No. 3: Young and Vulnerable: The Reality of Unsafe

Abortion among Adolescent and Young Women (Filipino Edition)

5. Vol. 11 Bumper Issue: Reframing Gender-based Violence as a Reproductive Health Issue (Tongan Edition)

6. Vol. 11 Bumper Issue: Reframing Gender-based Violence as a Reproductive Health Issue (Tamil Edition, reprint)

ARROWs for Change Supplements(Produced together with translations.)1. Supplement 2011 for Vol. 15 Nos. 2 & 3: 15 Years After

Cairo: Taking Stock, Moving Forward in the Asia and the Pacific

2. Supplement 2011 for Vol. 13 No. 2: Why Affirm Sexuality? 3. Supplement 2011 for Vol. 12 No. 3: Young and Vulnerable:

The Reality of Unsafe Abortion among Adolescent and Young Women

Annotated Bibliographies1. Funding for SRHR in Asia and the Pacific: An Annotated Bibliography 2. A Review of MDGs & SRHR in Asia & the Pacific: An Annotated Bibliography 3. Climate Change, Population, Sexual & Reproductive Health

& Rights: An Annotated Bibliography

Resource Book1. Making a Difference: Improving Women’s Sexual and

Reproductive Health and Rights in South Asia; A Resource Book for Advocates

Meeting Reports1. Repoliticising Sexual and Reproductive Health & Rights:

A Global Meeting, Langkawi, Malaysia, 3–6 August 2010, with Reproductive Health Matters

Annual Reports1. ARROW Annual Report 2010

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Transition: ARROW has been fortunate to have able and committed leadership throughout its 19 years of existence.

Sivananthi Thanenthiran, who was formerly the Programme Manager for InfoCom and Research for six years, became the third Executive Director and began her tenure in January 2012. She replaced Saira Shameem who efficiently steered ARROW for seven years and is now attached with UNFPA.


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ARROW’s External Evaluation: ARROW’s external evaluation was done in 2011 in conjunction with the beginning of the development of ARROW’s new Strategic Plan 2012-2016. Conducted by two esteemed women’s rights activists from the region, the report establishes that ARROW is a key player in the region and globally and sets out recommendations for further improving our strategies.

UNFOLDING 2012

2012 promises to be both an exciting and full year for ARROW. A key priority would be the finalisation of ARROW’s new Strategic Plan 2012-2016, which ARROW formulated together with partners from more the 35 national level organisations across the region.

ARROW will also host a key regional meeting, which aims to be the regional platform for the creation of an SRHR agenda for Asia and Pacific region. 2012 will also see the finalisation of the global South regional reports on ICPD+20 across five regions.

Additionally, ARROW will be furthering its work in Asia through realising the expansion of the WHRAP modality to Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ARROW’s Board of Directors anchors the organisation’s governance with a deep commitment to value-based policies and practices, helping ARROW maintain its integrity and ethical function, and also its vision and leadership.

Meanwhile, our Programme Advisory Committee (PAC), comprised of SRHR experts and activists from across the region, continue to provide strategic direction to our work. The enthusiasm of ARROW’s highly-qualified and motivated team members have been pivotal to our successes as an organisation.

We have also been extremely fortunate to work with inspired donor partners, whose vision and belief in our mission makes cooperation a mutually-respectful and joyful learning process.

Our gratitude goes to ARROW’s core funder Sida and project donors, Danida (via the Danish Family Planning Association), Ford Foundation, GIZ and Oxfam Novib, who have maintained their commitment to SRHR in this region.

Mother and children, Pentecost Island. Source: Photostream of Graham Crumb (Flickr, Creative Commons)

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We also thank the UNFPA APRO and the World Diabetes Foundation for collaborating with us.

We hold the highest admiration and respect for all our country partners and their local community-based organisation and peoples’ organisation counterparts, without whom this work would not be possible.

Last but not least, we are fortunate to have an immensely dedicated team at ARROW, who continue to make the work we do possible.

Sivananthi ThanenthiranExecutive Director

On behalf of ARROW

Executive Director

Sivananthi Thanenthiran

Source: ARROW’s Photobank


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Information and Communicationsfor Change: Towards Knowledge and Action

programmes.” In the process, the Evaluation concludes, ARROW has stimulated interest around issues that are considered to be “against the wind”or new issues that have not been defined yet. This has kept us at the cutting-edge of the SRHR field.

In 2011, the key highlights for the Information and Communications team included shaping the analysis and debate around two critical issues intersecting with SRHR—gender-based violence and non-communicable diseases—through publications and organising satellite sessions at a major SRHR conference in the region. Hard-hitting journal bulletin issues critiquing the MDGs and the current funding landscape kept up the momentum. We also continued to make critical SRHR information accessible to key stakeholders through our wide variety of services, including the ARROW SRHR Knowledge Sharing Centre, the SRHR Info Resource e-news service, the ARROW website and the ARROW Facebook page. Additionally, the Infocom team provided intensive support to programmes across the organisation, and implemented the short-term initiative on Women, SRHR and Non-Communicable Diseases.

ARROW’s Infocom work is supported by our core development partner Sida, with additional support by Oxfam Novib, the United Nations Population Fund Asia-Pacific Regional Office (UNFPA APRO) and the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF).

ASK-us! SRHR KNOWLEDGE CENTRE

ARROW’s SRHR Knowledge Sharing Centre (ASK-us!)1 is an important research support that makes vital SRHR information available to researchers and activists. Established in 1993, it is one of the few remaining SRHR and women’s health-related resource centres in the region and outside for advocacy work.

Research Support: In 2011, ASK-us served 7,557 users through its rich information resources and services, which includes responding to requests via email and resource centre drop-ins and provision of proactive information via the SRHR-

Information processed as knowledge drives social change. A core strategy since ARROW’s establishment, information and communications enables us to articulate and sustain the momentum for the SRHR agenda in the Asia and Pacific region and the global South. It is catalytic to strengthening ARROW’s and partners’ ability to influence key stakeholders about Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) policies and programmes.

As ARROW’s 2011 External Evaluation reports, we have been successful “in creating and disseminating information on SRHR, which presents clear conceptual/theoretical frameworks or agenda that are research-backed and factual; provide examples of successful and innovative policy, programme or research; and have operational tools and resources for use in actual re-orientation of policies and

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Resource Management: Resource collection plays a critical role in ensuring ARROW is responsive to information needs. The collection currently contains close to 20,636 information sources, in both print and electronic formats. Of these, 3,936 were new acquisitions in 2011 (508 print and 3,428 electronic resources). The ASK-us collection is available and searchable online (www.arrow.org.my/wwwisis/idclib.02/form.htm).

Youth Knowledge-Sharing Hub: A youth-focused knowledge hub to support partners’ research and advocacy work was created for the Women’s Health and Rights Advocacy Partnerships-South East Asia (WHRAP-SEA) initiative (www.youthsextion.wordpress.com). The knowledge hub contains directories, publications, bibliographies, research tools, definitions, virtual library catalogue and web-links. Since its launch in May 2011, the site has received 837 visitors.

Women’s Stories on Abortion: As part of the Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance of Malaysia (RRAAM)’s initiative to document women’s experiences of abortion and their access to abortion services, ARROW and an independent RRAAM member developed three digital stories of Malaysian women. These digital stories have been made available through Empower’s Youtube account on the second half of 2011, and received 357 views by end of 2011.

ADVANCING THE SRHR AGENDA THROUGH NEW MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGIES

New media and technologies are powerful tools for engaging a wide range of audience on development issues for advocacy and change. They help connect people to information and services, and allow for collaboration between organisations, communities and individuals. Recognising the potential of these technologies for change, ARROW established its online presence and connected through four key modalities: the ARROW website, e-newsletter SRHR Info Resources, engagement with new social media and technologies and thematic blogs and campaigns. All aim to help build broad alliances for the SRHR agenda by popularising SRHR information.

IR and website. This is a 43.3% increase in ASK-us usage and outreach from 5,275 users in 2010. Majority were from the Asia and Pacific region, Europe and North America.

FEEDBACK FROM ASK-us! USERS

The documents are useful, thanks for all the effort you have made. (T.K. Sundari Ravindran, Professor, Achutha Menon Centre for Health Science Studies, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences & Technology, India)

Thank you very much; we will study the references and see their usefulness…. we know we can rely on ARROW and you have been so helpful. (Dr. Mymoon bt. Alias, Deputy Director, Family Health Section, Family Health Development Division, Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia)

When NKF planned to set up a new resource centre in 2010, we approached a few NGOs to learn from them….Among the NGOs that we approached, I must say ARROW…was the most helpful and professional. (Sharleen Lee, National Kidney Foundation, Malaysia)

Thank you very much for your very informative answer! It is really encouraging to see that so much is going on. (Berit Austveg, Senior Advisor, Nowegian Board of Health Supervision, Norway)

Research Tools: An annotated bibliography on funding and SRHR in Asia and the Pacific was prepared in 2011 as a supplement to an ARROWs for Change (AFC) bulletin issue on the same theme. This was widely disseminated and reached at least 486 people. As part of the Southern Voices: Reclaiming & Redefining the Global South SRHR agenda for 2015, research assistance was provided to the four regional partners in Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North America. Bibliographies were prepared for thematic issues, including abortion, STIs and HIV and AIDS, sexuality education, sexual violence and young people’s SRHR.


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ARROW’s Website (www.arrow.org.my): ARROW’s website aims to be a dynamic SRHR information hub, making available and accessible cutting-edge information and analysis on critical women’s issues. Additionally, it aims to promote ARROW and her work, her partners and the work that they do; enhance outreach through the increased utilisation of new technologies; and act as a platform for networking and alliance-building.

Repository of Information: Our website contains up-to-date SRHR information on ARROW’s priority countries in the region and ARROW and partners’ work in these countries. In 2011, new sections were created to accurately reflect ARROW’s work. These included a section on ARROW’s initiative, Women’s Health and Rights Advocacy Partnership South East Asia (WHRAP-SEA), and a section on the International Conference on Population & Development (ICPD) +15. Other new content include the ‘Friends of ARROW’ section, which

contains biographies of ARROW’s circle of former Board and PAC members.

Knowledge-Sharing: The website is utilised as a mechanism for information dissemination and knowledge sharing, with all ARROW publications made available for download in digital format. In 2011, a total of 17 publications were uploaded onto the ARROW website, including the Reclaiming and Redefining Rights – Thematic Studies Series, ARROWs for Change issues and translations, as well as accession lists and framework of indicators. A look at the most viewed web pages show that aside from getting information about ARROW and the countries we work in, visitors are coming to view and download publications. ARROW publications were downloaded 34,597 times in 2011.

Website Usage: ARROW’s website continued to grow as an information portal and as an advocacy tool for SRHR

Figure 1. ARROW Website Hits, Page Views and Visits by Region in 2011

1,600,000

1,400,000

1,200,000

1,000,000

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

0

Hits, Page Views & Visits 2011

Africa

11,110725

1,093

HitsPage ViewsVisits

Asia

554,215859,25443,477

Europe

127,06949,00111,905

North America649,187285,976180,278

SouthAmerica5,028695429

Pacific(Oceania)

25,2081,2331,055

All

1,371,8171,196,884238,237

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stakeholders in 2011. The website received more than 1.3 million hits (1,354,225) and 177,238 visits. The number of ARROW’s unique visitors notably increased from 25,797 in 2010 to 39,625 in 2011 (53.6% increase). ARROW’s website also has a regional and global reach.2 North America (USA and Canada) region showed up highest number of visits and hits, followed by the Asia and the Pacific region. Reasons why North America garnered more hits could be the availability of better bandwidth.

SRHR Info Resources: SRHR Info Resources is ARROW’s e-information service, which contains SRHR-related news and resources, calls for action and papers, upcoming events, job openings and ARROW and partner updates. In 2011, 20 SRHR Info Resources issues, each one containing a minimum of 8 pieces of information, were sent out to more than 1,869 people world-wide. ARROW has consistently received positive feedback from users that they find the service useful.

Social Media: Social media provide other mechanisms to effectively and directly engage with interested individuals and other organisations, and to share the latest information, news and resources on SRHR that is women-centred and rights-based. We created a page on the social network site ‘Facebook’ under the name, The Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW), in mid-April 2011. This was envisioned as a platform of dynamic communication and interaction with its ‘fans.’ The page reached 200 ‘likes’ by the end of the year, with a global geographical reach.3

Blogs, Campaign Websites and Project Websites: Aside from the official website, ARROW hosts thematic blogs, campaign websites and project websites. These are the MDG5 Watch: Women Are Watching Their Governments campaign (www.mdg5watch.org), the SRHR Database of Indicators (www.srhrdatabase.org), the Women’s Health and Rights Advocacy Partnership (WHRAP) South Asia website (www.whrap.org), WHRAP-South East Asia website (www.srhr4youth.org), and Youth Sextion: Linking Youth, HIV/AIDS & SRHR in South East Asia blog (http://youthsextion.wordpress.com).

ARROWS FOR CHANGE MULTILINGUAL BULLETIN: GEARED FOR SRHR AGENDA

ARROWs for Change (AFC) is ARROW’s flagship, peer-reviewed serial publication that provides Southern, rights-based and women-centred analyses and perspectives to global discourses on health, sexuality and rights. First published in 1995, AFC has become an important resource both in the region and globally for exploring linkages between SRHR and other development issues.

AFC is also building understanding and forging alliances among movements. The bulletin is meant primarily for decision-makers and programme managers in the region, but is distributed globally. AFC is produced half-yearly in English and is translated into various languages several times a year to increase its reach and impact. All AFC issues can be downloaded from ARROW website at www.arrow.org.my/index.php/publications/arrows-for-change.html.

Shaping Analyses, Knowledge and Perspectives: In 2011, three volumes of AFC were published which served as talking points on vital issues. These are:• AFC Vol. 17 No. 2: Gender-based Violence and Sexual

and Reproductive Health and Rights: this publication explores the critical linkages between addressing GBV and SRHR toward influencing the ICPD+20 and post-MDG development framework.

• AFC Vol. 17 No. 1: Repoliticising Financing: Re-energising Support for Women’s Health and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights: tackles dilemmas and issues related to funding for women’s health, particularly for SRHR, and calls for increased support to SRHR and for sustainability of women’s health and rights NGOs from the global South.

• AFC Vol. 16 No. 1 & 2: The MDGs: A Critical Look and Some Proposals for the Post-2015 Development Framework: critiques and highlights gaps in the MDG development framework 10 years into its implementation, and puts forward some recommendations towards a post-2015 international development architecture.


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Concept Notes: AFC concept notes are the guiding framework for strategising and developing AFC bulletin issues. In 2011, one was focused on funding and SRHR by Guest Editor Shobha Raghuram and the other on inter-linkages between gender-based violence and SRHR by AFC Managing Editor Maria Melinda Ando. Even as the two concept notes helped guide the bulletins’ content, they also gave an overview, which comprehensively mapped the breadth and scope of the theme in the region and lent a rationale for the issue. Further, these notes are valuable resources in themselves and ARROW shares them with strategic key stakeholders. ARROW also used these to develop the concept notes for the sub-regional campaign on sexuality education, religious fundamentalisms, and in developing a response to position papers and statements related to Rio+20 processes.

Translated versions of AFC: To increase reach in a diverse and multi-lingual region and to be able to equip decision-makers and programme managers in dealing with SRHR issues in the face of increasing devolution of health governance across the region, AFC is translated into various languages. In 2011, the AFC team collaborated with the Women’s Health and Rights Advocacy Partnership South East Asia (WHRAP-SEA) team and their national partners to translate three AFCs that are most pertinent to young people in China, Lao PDR and the Philippines.4 As part of making the translated AFCs more relevant to local audiences, and feature analysis from the country, three new articles were written and included in the translated editions, as well as published electronically in English as AFC supplements. Additionally, the Bahasa translation of the AFC on ICPD+15, the Tongan edition of the AFC on gender-based violence and SRHR, and the new article on GBV and the MDGs in Tonga were also completed in 2011.5

Advocacy and Networking: ARROW utilises the ARROWs for Change bulletin as tools for advocacy, networking and cross-movement dialogues. As part of the preparation for the production of ARROWs for Change bulletin, ARROW and UNFPA Asia-Pacific Regional Office co-organised

and collaborated a satellite session at the 6th APCRSHR. Titled, “Why Address Gender-based Violence in the SRHR Agenda?”, the session held on 21 October 2011, was a platform where experts and stakeholders presented evidence on the critical linkages between addressing GBV and achieving commitments related to SRHR.

Additionally, in 2011, we used the editorial and the concept note of the AFC on repoliticising funding to intervene at the LDC-IV Global Civil Society Forum (CSF) and the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV) in Istanbul. ARROW pushed for the inclusion of a shorter version of the AFC editorial article into the CSF Bulletin and it was distributed widely in the conference.

The bulletin on funding mechanisms also created intervention possibilities at the SID-UNFPA Pre-Congress Workshop on ‘Responses to the Care Crisis’ in Washington, DC, USA. ARROW delivered a presentation on funding and development, and copies of the bulletin were personally handed to the UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin. This was another opportunity for ARROW to join global stakeholders in discussing the ICPD/post-ICPD development agenda.

Influence and Reach: 2011 witnessed a wider and greater reach of AFC globally. Selected articles and issues were cited in journals and publications, including Youth and Unsafe Abortion: A Global Snapshot by the Advocate for Youth; Faith-based Peace-building: The Need for a Gender Perspective by the International Fellowship of Reconciliation Women Peacemakers Programme of Netherlands,and an article on violence against women published in Psychiatry, Psychology and Law. Online archives and databases, websites and university and NGO libraries worldwide also include AFC in their collections.6 Additionally, selected AFC articles were also translated into Chinese by the Yunnan Health and Development Research Association (YHDRA) for their partners and into Spanish by the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR).

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Capacity Development: AFC’s extensive guidelines and policies are used to build capacities of other organisations in producing their own publications. For example, in 2011, the Health Equity Initiatives, a Malaysian NGO working on migrant and refugee rights issues, used the AFC guidelines and policies as models for their own publications. These documents also help achieve a similar level of rigour in other ARROW publications.

FEEDBACK FROM AFC READERS

We have received ARROWs for Change Vol. 16 Nos. 1 & 2 2010 from your prestigious publication. We would like to express our appreciation for your continuous efforts to keep us abreast with new developments on women’s health issues. (Dr. Honorata L. Catibog, Director III, Family Health Office, National Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Department of Health, Philippines)

I really like your article,“The MDGs: A Critical Look and Some Proposals for the Post-2015 Development Framework”) in the ARROWS for Change bulletin. I want your permission to translate it and diffuse it through the Spanish WGNRR’s bulletin. (Beatriz Sotomayor, Programme Associate, Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR)

As a feminist researcher, I know women’s rights have not been addressed yet in remote area, and I do hope that more and more people working in the communities can benefit from the bulletin. (Li Chunrui, Senior Professor, Yunnan Government Officers, Women and Youth School, Yunnan, China, on AFC Vol. 15 Nos. 2 & 3 Mandarin)

BREAKTHROUGH: WOMEN, SRHR AND NCDs INITIATIVE

Achieving women’s SRHR faces has become even more challenging in the face of the sharply deteriorating food security situation, greater natural calamities, and spurt in lifestyle-related health problems. Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases

and diabetes, have become the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. Diabetes, in particular, is turning out to be an impediment in the achievement of SRHR, for the poor and marginalised in the Asia and Pacific region. Yet, despite existing evidence, the linkages between diabetes and SRHR have received little or no attention within both the SRHR and NCD circles.

In response to this gap, and as part of ARROW’s strategy to identify critical issues that intersect with women’s SRHR, we implemented the “Women, SRHR and NCDs” initiative, in collaboration with the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF). Running from October 2011 to June 2012, the short-term initiative aimed to increase the understanding of the linkages between diabetes and women’s SRHR.

As a key activity of the initiative, ARROW and WDF jointly organised a satellite session titled, “Diabetes – A Missing Link to Achieving Sexual and Reproductive Health in the Asia-Pacific Region,” at the 6th APCRSHR held in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The symposium aimed to raise awareness and understanding among the SRHR community of the linkages between diabetes and SRHR, and advocate for increased attention to this issue. The session brought together a panel of eminent global speakers to deliberate on the context of diabetes in the region with specific focus on women’s SRHR; the linkage between diabetes and maternal and child health; and the issue of diabetes and sexuality in men and women. Participants represented a diverse group of NGO activists working on SRHR, HIV and AIDS and sexuality, as well as medical professionals.

Post-conference, extensive work was done in bringing out a publication compiling the papers presented at the satellite session. The book was printed and disseminated in early 2012 and is available on ARROW’s website.

MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS

Complementing the various Infocom mechanisms are the marketing and other publicity-driven actions that promote


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ARROW’s issues, knowledge products and services to create social change. Varied channels, including exhibition booths, electronic and print subscriptions and agreements with global distributors are used.

Reaching a Wider Audience: ARROW employed a variety of mechanisms to distribute more knowledge products than ever before. A total of 70,546 pieces were distributed in 2011, representing an 18.29% increase when compared with the 59,640 pieces distributed in 2010. The website captured the top slot with a wide margin.

ARROW’s presence in events and exhibition booths: Participation in strategic events at the international, regional and national levels provided ARROW with diverse platforms for sharing its work and knowledge products. ARROW is also able to build its collection with new and relevant information resources available therein.

In 2011, ARROW had a presence in seven events: four in ARROW events, three in other organisations’ events, and the last being the biggest SRHR event in the region- the 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR). Additionally, we maximised our

participation in 25 key global, regional and national events and strategically distributed knowledge products through staff members who attended these events, as well as to ARROW visitors. In all, a total of 8,129 knowledge products were distributed in 2011 in events. Additionally, the ARROW booths were accessed by at least 528 individuals, with 100 added to the contact database.

Database of ARROW Contacts: ARROW’s contacts database, building up with its inception in 1993, is an important tool for ARROW’s Infocom work. As of end of 2011, there were about 6,737 contacts in the database.

INFOCOM’S ROLE IN OTHER AREAS

In addition to fulfilling core tasks, the Infocom team also provided substantive support to various other work programme objectives of ARROW.

• In the area of Monitoring and Research for Advocacy, the Infocom team contributed in holding the “Global Advocacy Planning Meeting on Religious Fundamentalisms” in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It also helped prepare the Asia and Pacific region meeting, “Beyond

Mechanism

2010 2011% Change in

2010-2011No. of copies

% RankNo. of copies

% Rank

Website downloads of publications 28,714 48% 1 34,597 49% 1 20.49%

Knowledge products distributed through booths, participation in events, sharing of selected publica-tions and requests to key stakeholders

8,182 14% 3 8,129 12% 3 -0.65%

AFC distribution to print and e-subscribers 14,372 24% 2 14,392 20% 2 0.14%

AFC translations distributed by partners 2,256 4% 5 7,170 10% 4 217.82%

Publications distributed to Gale 6,116 10% 4 6,258 9% 5 2.32%

Total 59,640 100% 70,546 100% 18.29%

Table 1: ARROW Knowledge Products Distributed by Mechanism, 2010-2011

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ICPD and the MDGs: NGOs Strategising for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Asia-Pacific Region” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

• Strengthening of Partnerships is another area supported by Infocom. As part of implementing the Knowledge Management Strategy, ASK-us conducted a needs assessment for the WHRAP-Southeast Asia partners, developed a knowledge management strategy, conceptualised a youth blog for the initiative that will serve as a knowledge sharing platform, and did its content management and updating.

• In Organisational Development, ASK-us! provided support to the BoD initiative on ARROW’s Resource Kit. The AFC Programme Officer is also responsible for coordinating the annual organisational reports (internal and popular versions). The Infocom team members also provide support to the Executive Director and national partners in preparing for presentations in various meetings and visits to development partners.

SUMMARY AND WAY FORWARD

Year 2011 saw the ARROW InfoCom team respond to challenges and tasks with creative thinking and innovative solutions. We effectively delivered all our major outputs and in the process, we have been able to help shape the thinking around SRHR, and contribute to its regional and global discourses and its linkages with other development issues. Through both our core and our initiative work, we have helped build bridges with other movements and other stakeholders, including with those working on LDC, poverty and other development issues, as well as those who focus on non-communicable diseases and gender-based violence. Internally, the Infocom’s intensive support to the other objectives in 2011 has enabled more effective programme integration within ARROW.

In 2012, as ARROW’s 20th anniversary approaches, we shall refresh our brand identity, including revamping the `look and feel of’ our knowledge products, including the website, Facebook, the AFC and other publications. We will continue

to support key research and advocacy around ICPD, MDGs and Beijing and beyond. The ASK-us! team will keep pace with the new demands on its core tasks of research support and information dissemination, while forming new contacts with developmental research institutes to access important SRHR data on an ongoing and gratis basis. We are also keen to enhance our digital presence. Finally, we will explore cutting-edge issues of SRHR through topics like youth and new development agenda beyond ICPD and Beijing in AFC publications, as well as migration and SRHR.


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Smiling girl. Source: Photostream of Babasteve (Flickr, Creative Commons)

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Endnotes

1. Formerly known as Information and Documentation Centre (IDC), the team decided on the new name to reflect more accurately the tasks and role it plays within the organisa-tion and in the region.

2. Globally, website visitors come from these top ten countries: Malaysia, the USA, China, Germany, Japan, Ukraine, Netherlands, the UK, France and Finland.

3. The top ten countries were: Malaysia, Nepal, the USA, the Philippines, Indonesia, Austra-lia, Pakistan, India, Canada and Thailand.

4. The Mandarin translation of AFC Vol. 15 Nos. 2 & 3 (15 Years After Cairo: Taking Stock, Moving Forward in the Asia and Pacific region;/开罗协议后的十五年：亚太地区性与生殖健康的回顾与展望)was produced in collaboration with the Yunnan Health and Develop-ment Research Association (YHDRA). The Lao translation of AFC Vol. 13 No. 2 (Why Affirm Sexuality?/

ເປັນຫຍັງຈ ງຕ້ອງສະໜັບສະໜູນວິຖີຊີວິດທາງເພ)was produced in collabo-ration with the Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Health Sciences, Lao PDR. The Filipino translation of AFC Vol. 12 No. 3 (Young and Vulnerable: The Reality of Unsafe Abortion among Adolescent and Young Women/Bata at Mahina: Ang Katotohanan ng Di-ligtas na Aborsyon sa mga Nagdadalaga at Kabataang Babae) was done with the Likhaan Centre for Women’s Health, the Philippines.

5. The Bahasa Indonesia translation of Vol. 15 Nos. 2 & 3 (15 Years after Cairo: Taking Stock, Moving Forward in Asia and the Pacific/15 Tahun Setelah Kairo: Inventarisasi, Melangkah Maju di Asia dan Pasifik) was produced in collaboration with the Women’s Health Foundation, Indonesia. The AFC Vol. 11 Tongan (Reframing Gender-based Violence as a Reproductive Health Issue/Ko e fakafotunga ‘e taha ‘o e gender based violence ko e palopalema ki he mo’ui lelei ‘i he taimi fakafanau) was produced in collaboration with the Women’s and Children’s Crisis Centre.

6. Websites and online archives and databases include AWID, Eldis, HealthSpace.Asia, PubMed of the US National Library of Medicine, Population Information Online (POPLINE), ResearchGate, SafetyLit Injury Prevention Literature Update and Archive Data-base, Scopus, Scribd, Shirkat Gah, Source and Trove. Libraries include Cornell University (USA), Centre for Development Studies (India), Centre for Women’s Development Studies (India), Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (Singapore), Makerere University (Uganda), Monash University (Malaysia/Australia), University of Connecticut (USA), and University of Wisconsin (USA).

ARROW’s websites and Facebook page

ARROW at the 6th APCSRHR in Jogjakarta,

IndonesiaSource: ARROW Photobank

ARROWs for Change publications in 2011


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Monitoring and Research for Advocacy

ARROW’s monitoring and research work is supported by Ford Foundation and GIZ, with support from core funder Sida.

AMPLIFYING THE SOUTHERN VOICE IN THE GLOBAL SRHR AGENDA

Through this initiative funded by Ford Foundation, ARROW and partners aim to bring forth the voices and perspectives of Southern1 civil society from different regions as part of the process of framing the global development agenda in the ICPD +20 and MDGs+15 reviews. By doing so,we also ensure that the development agenda of governments, inter-governmental organisations and donors are in tandem with the needs, realities and experiences of women from the global South.

ARROW has, in the past, monitored the ICPD Programme of Action in the Asia and Pacific region, and as we move towards the 2014 timeline, the intent is to bring all the voices of the region and the global South as a whole onto one platform. ARROW is strategically placed to promote these voices on the world stage. The main deliverables from this initiative are five regional monitoring reports and a global South ICPD+20 monitoring report and associated publications.

A key activity in 2011 was the Global South Planning Meeting, where ARROW and its regional partners—Central and Eastern European Women’s Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (ASTRA), Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), Latin American and Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN) and World Young Women Christian Association (World YWCA)—met for the first time.

At the meeting, regional partners presented their countries of their focus and their rationale for doing so. They also shared critical SRHR issues like reproductive health, health financing and other problems pertaining to their region. Regional reports, combining case studies, narratives and perspectives from the grassroots were deliberated upon, along with a follow-through programme on tentative activities. The key take-out however, was the final list of SRHR indicators ARROW

Monitoring and research are key pillars of ARROW’s work in securing women’s health and other human rights. ARROW’s Strategic Plan 2006-2011 calls for “creating a systematic evidence-based research and monitoring system, which charts national and regional progress towards Cairo, Beijing and other international commitments pertaining to women’s health and rights.”The data that emerges is then used to critique the existing global monitoring system,which eventually would lead to newer indicators accounting for the impact of emerging obstacles in the area of women’s health and rights.

Target dates for reaching goals of several key SRHR-related agreements are nearing. Monitoring of commitments on women’s SRHR for advocacy is thus even more urgent. Specific initiatives undertaken by the Monitoring and Research team in 2011 include a global South ICPD monitoring initiative; and a global initiative countering the negative impact of religious extremisms and the groups that advance them in policy settings at all levels. A sub-regional campaign in the Mekong region on teenage pregnancy and a campaign around gender-based violence in Pakistan were other advocacy initiatives. The above interventions, along with development of resources such as an online SRHR database and publications, have paved the way for global South voices to be heard in the discussions on ICPD beyond 2014.

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and partners drew up after extensive discussions. Substantial inputs on data sources ensured that data is comparable across regions. In addition, regional focal point persons were identified within ARROW to support the partners find relevant data in developing their regional reports.

Key SRHR and macro-economic indicators from reports were derived from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), World Health reports and UN databases. These were provided to partners and uploaded in the SRHR Database of Indicators.

It must be noted that in the first phase of the ICPD+15 monitoring initiative in 2007, ARROW developed a rights-based, gender-sensitive SRHR monitoring indicators. In 2011, through the global South ICPD+20 monitoring initiative, we shared these indicators with our global South partners who have selected and adapted them as per their needs.

BEYOND ICPD AND MDGs: ASIA-PACIFIC NGOS STRATEGISING FOR SRHR

This GIZ-funded initiative aims to organise a regional meeting in May 2012 among key SRHR stakeholders and other social movements, in order to strategise and identify the Asia-Pacific SRHR agenda. Combined with the Global South initiative

and the Asia-Pacific report it will generate, it will ensure that voices and perspectives from the region are heard in the review process for ICPD, Beijing and MDGs and in the development of a new agenda.

In 2011, ARROW did important preparatory work for the regional NGO meeting. This included:

• A survey questionnaire was shared with SRHR stakeholders in the Asia and Pacific region, resulting in the identification of six major issues impacting SRHR in the region.

• In a kick-off meeting held in December 2011, the six topics—universal access to sexual and reproductive health, poverty, food security, climate change, migration and religious extremism—were finalised as core issues for the agenda of the May 2012 meeting.

• The main objective of the conference emerged thus: To ensure the Asia Pacific SRHR agenda and its inter-linkages with other development issues is clearly defined in order to inform the ICPD+20 and beyond. Second, to bring together key organisations and individuals to form an alliance, which will revitalise the agenda and place SRHR within the development and funding framework regionally and internationally.

Figure 2. Countries Covered by the Global South ICPD@ 20 Partnership Initiative

World YWCA (Africa) Angola, Benin, Ethiophia, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia

ARROW (Asia and Pacific Region)Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India,

Indonesia, Kiribati, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam

Astra (Eastern Europe)Armenia, Azerbaijan,

Georgia, Hungary, Poland, Russia, Ukraine

LACWHN (Latin American and the Caribbean)

Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Nicaragua, Mexico, Domincan Republic

EIPR (Middle East and Northern Africa)

Egypt, Kuwait, Palestine, Tunisia, Turkey, Yemen


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ARROW’S ONLINE SRHR DATABASE

The ARROW SRHR Database (www.srhrdatabase.org) uses the ICPD+15 frameworks of indicators developed by ARROW and partners in 2009 to monitor progress in 12 Asian countries. As part of the preparation for the global South Planning Meeting, ARROW updated the SRHR database in August 2011 with cross-comparable data (mostly quantitative) from 50 countries globally. This database has generated 64,171 hits and 23,597 visits in 2011.

CONFRONTING RELIGIOUS BARRIERS TO SRHR

a. Sub-regional Initiative on Religious Fundamentalism: In the first phase of the ARROW ICPD+15 initiative, case-studies emerging from three Southeast Asian countries (Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines), and one South Asian country (Pakistan), clearly showed religion as a key barrier towards access to contraception and safe abortion services. In an early 2011 meeting, ARROW and three Southeast Asian partners—Likhaan Centre for Women’s Health (Philippines), Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM) and Women’s Health Foundation (Indonesia)—shared similar experiences. The meeting also highlighted the need for a repository of information resources that could bring centre-stage this

problem and build an opinion around it. This information hub (http://godssexpolitics.wordpress.com/) was completed in 2011.

b. Global Interfaith and Secular Alliance (GISA): In a growing hostile and polarised global landscape for SRHR, efforts to promote women’s rights in inter-governmental policy at the regional and international levels have been consistently blocked by advocates of extremist strains of some of the world’s largest religions. Against this backdrop, ARROW and Catholics for Choice (CFC) crafted a unique Global South and a Global North initiative that would counter arguments employed by extremist religious actors. This is crucial as the global movement for SRHR prepares for the renewal processes of both the Cairo (in 2014) and Beijing (2015) agendas, and the negotiations over the development framework that will replace the MDGs. ARROW and CFC jointly organised an initial “Global Advocacy Planning Meeting on Religious Fundamentalisms” at Yogyakarta, Indonesia which resulted in the formation of “Global Inter-Faith and Secular Alliance: Working for Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights,” with seven ARROW partners already joining in to push the agenda. The line-up of activities includes the presentation of written and oral statements at UN CPD 2012, and an intervention at the Washington AIDS conference in July 2012.

ADDRESSING SEXUALITY ISSUES IN MEKONG SUB-REGION

Unwanted pregnancy is one of the most critical challenge facing the youth of the Mekong sub-region. A social-media inspired sub-regional campaign on “Access to sexuality education and reducing teen pregnancies in the Mekong sub-region,” that affirms adolescent and young people sexual rights and addresses the issues of teen pregnancy was initiated by ARROW in Thailand and Vietnam in 2011. Implementing this were the Southeast Asian Consortium on Gender, Sexuality, and Health of Thailand and the Centre for Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP) of Vietnam. The planning meeting was held in early 2011 and the campaign was to run through till June 2012.

India: Inside the TajSource: Photostream of Babasteve (Flickr, Creative Commons)

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A contest to produce the most engaging and relevant video clips on adolescent pregnancies and sexuality education was held in both the countries. In the lead-up to the contest, promotional posters were distributed; letters sent to universities and also posted on websites and facebook fan pages of NGOs. Two research reports on media advocacy were also produced by the partners. What makes this campaign both unique and powerful is that young people got involved at the advocacy level, creating dialogue and finding solutions from a youth perspective.

ADVOCACY IN OTHER COUNTRIES

We also built on the positive momentum generated through the regional campaigns initiated in 2010, and replicated these at the national level in India and Pakistan.

In Pakistan, the regional brief on gender-based violence, SRHR and the MDGs developed in 2010, was translated into Urdu to take forward advocacy in Pakistan.2 Shirkat Gah used the Urdu brief in its national level advocacy to address GBV in Pakistan.

Meanwhile, ARROW collaborated with Rural Women’s Social Education Centre (RUWSEC) to develop the CommonHealth website, a thematic information website on universal access to maternal and neo-natal health and safe abortion services across six states in India (www.commonhealth.in). Through data collected at the national level, in a similar mechanism to ARROW’s SRHR database, the website aims to raise visibility about the unacceptably high numbers of preventable mortality and morbidity among mothers and newborns.

ICPD THEMATIC PUBLICATIONS

ARROW produced four publications carrying regional overviews by our team members and national level case studies by partners on specific sexual and reproductive health and rights issues in Asia. The Reclaiming & Redefining Rights Thematic Studies Series covers four themes: `Sexuality and Rights in Asia,’ which centres on sexuality issues, including

regional sexuality indicators, sexual harassment, sexuality education,and transgenderism and sexual citizenship; ‘Pathways to Universal Access to Reproductive Health Care in Asia,’ which studies how changes in the health sector affect universal access to quality reproductive health services; `Reproductive Autonomy and Rights in Asia,’ which discusses issues of contraception and unsafe abortion in five Asian countries; and the last in the series, ‘Maternal Mortality Morbidity in Asia,’ which explores the questions around maternal health and utilisation of public and private health facilities for reproductive health services in rural India among other safe motherhood issues in South Asia.

The underlying aim of the above is to present in-depth national level evidence on specific issues of SRHR. The series is combined with the regional ICPD +15 monitoring report published by ARROW in 2009.

EVIDENCE-BASED MONITORING TO SWAY GLOBAL OPINION

ARROW continued to make interventions in 2011 at UN processes, donor and global meetings organised by key NGOs, and global and regional parliamentarian meetings. At these interventions, we utilised evidence made in our initiative to monitor ICPD+15 and MDG+10 in Asia. We also provided a very critical global South, Asia-Pacific, rights-based and women-centred analyses and perspectives that are often missing from global and international meetings.

One of the key meetings was the 44th session of the UN Commission on Population and Development in April 2011 in New York on the theme “Fertility, Reproductive Health and Development,” where ARROW made an oral statement taking into account ICPD+15 findings. ARROW also engaged with other social movements in order to push for the SRHR agenda.

SUMMARY AND WAY FORWARD

In many ways, 2011 was a milestone year for ARROW. Building on gains made in its ICPD+15 and MDG+10 monitoring work, strengthening partnerships, unifying voices


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Dates Event ARROW’s Roles

11-15 April 2011

UN Session of the Commission of Population and Development (CPD), themed Fertility, Reproductive Health and Development

New York, USA

An oral statement was made by ARROW taking into account the ICPD+15 findings. The oral statement can be accessed at UN CPD website www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/cpd2011/igo-ngo/arrow.pdfand the ARROW website: www.arrow.org.my/index.php/media-centre/oral-statement-at-the-44th-cpd.html

5-8 May, 2011;

7-13 May

and

9-13 May 2011

1.Coalition of Sexual and Bodily Rights (CSBR) General Meeting

2. Civil Society Forum (CSF)

3. Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-IV)

Istanbul, Turkey

ARROW attended the General Assembly meeting of CSBR on invita-tion and shared monitoring findings. We also marked our presenceat the 4th LDC meeting and the accompanying Civil Society Forum in Turkey to share our work on women’s SRHR issues with diverse stakeholders. The editorial of the AFC on Repoliticising Financing was also featured on the civil society bulletin distributed to all meet-ing participants.

28-29 April 2011

Global Health Beyond The Millennium Develop-ment Goals: Visions for Public Health Priori-ties and the Corresponding Health Research Agenda up to 2030, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

ARROW presented the “Asian Perspectives on New Disease Bur-den: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.” https://connect.forskningsnettet.dk/p26391693/?launcher=false&fcsContent=true&pbMode=normal

6-13 June 2011

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Summer Course on Reproductive Health, Washington USA

ARROW presented the ICPD+15 findings at the course.

28 July, 29-31 July 2011

SID-UNFPA Pre-Congress Workshop on ‘Re-sponses to the Care Crisis’; SID World Con-gress, Washington, DC, USA

ARROW presented ICPD+15 findings to repoliticise financing for SRHR at the pre-congress workshop.

23-25 September 2011

2nd Regional Parliamentarians’ Meeting, Phuket, Thailand; organised by IPPF South Asia and AFPPD

ARROWpresented the ICPD+15 monitoring findings to South Asian parliamentarians.

19-21 Octo-ber 2011

6th APCRSRH; Yogyakarta, Indonesia

ARROW made several interventions at the 6th APCRSRH, including a plenary presentation on the ICPD+15 findings,a presentation on the MDG monitoring initiative “The Live and Living Online MDG5/SRHR Asia Shadow Report” and in the Satellite Session on “Will NGOs Deliver? Time for Effective Strategies to Place SRHR on Everyone’s Agenda.”Meanwhile, partners from RRAAM, Malaysia and Women’s Health Foundation, Indonesia presented their national case studies from the ICPD+15 project.

15-16 No-vember

2011

Global Young Parliamentarians Dialogue; Krabi; organised by the Asian Forum of Parliamentar-ians on Population and Development (AFPPD) and the Information and External Relations Division (IERD) of the United Nations Popula-tion Fund (UNFPA) New York

ARROW was a speaker at this dialogue aimed to strengthen capaci-ties of young parliamentarians globally on SRHR issues. See www.afppd.org/Newsletters/2011_issue/nov-dec/nov-dec2011.html#1link

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from the global South as the SRHR movement prepares for the review of Cairo and Beijing agendas, ARROW spearheaded the organisation to newer heights and relevance in women’s rights in every aspect.

ARROW’s consistent work on the ICPD/SRHR indicators has put ARROW in the lead in monitoring the ICPD Programme of Action. Among the initiatives,the “Southern Voices: Reclaiming & Redefining the Global South SRHR agenda for 2015” global initiative is very significant, for it convenes five leading women’s and feminist groups to write five regional reports and a global report reviewing ICPD+20.

The global South partners in the initiative appreciated the indicators and adapted most of the 69 Key SRHR indicators.

Several groundbreaking global and sub-regional campaigns, like the formation of the Global Interfaith and Secular Alliance (GISA) and launching creative ideas to address sexuality issues in the Mekong sub-region were thought of and implemented.

Additionally, ARROW continued to update and improve its high-quality resources, such as the expansion of the SRHR Database of Indicators from 12 countries in Asia to 50 countries across the Asia-Pacific.

In 2012, ARROW will be convening more than 100 NGOs, CSOs and key stakeholders in the Asia and Pacific region to craft the regional SRHR agenda.

All these initiatives also show ARROW’s increased agency and capacity to lead regional and global processes, and influence the SRHR and development agenda.

Dates Event ARROW’s Roles

14-15 November 2011

Strategic Alliances with International NGOs (SALIN), organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Netherlands

ARROW shared insights on ICPD+15 regional findings.

Endnotes

1. Southern is defined by either those located in the SRHR struggle in the South, through national organisations or networks of national organisations, and with work ongoing at local levels and regional networks which work with these national organisations to bring their agendas to the global forums.

2. www.arrow.org.my/publications/GBVBrief_Urdu.pdf

The Global South Planning MeetingSource: ARROW Photobank

Reclaiming & Redefining Rights Series Source: ARROW Photobank


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Cohesive Advocacy Partnerships for SRHR

marginalised women and girls, through 140 community-based organisations, working through 18 national partners. WHRAP’s regional and global advocacy interventions have resulted in the increased presence of non-native-English speaking youth leaders in conferences. Presenting advocacy evidence and arguments that are grounded in the realities of the marginalised women and youth activists is yet another positive activity enabled through WHRAP.

ARROW currently coordinates two initiatives—WHRAP-South Asia and WHRAP South East Asia, both focusing on improving quality of life through improved SRHR for marginalised sections of women and youth. Another initiative, WHRAP-China, which concluded in 2011, was concerned with social, economic, and gender inequalities and inequities in responding to women’s SRHR, especially to that of migrant women in China.

WHRAP-South Asia is supported by Danida, whereas WHRAP-SEA and WHRAP-China received funding support from Oxfam Novib.

ADVOCATING FOR MARGINALISED WOMEN’S SRHR: WHRAP-SOUTH ASIA

WHRAP-South Asia began in 2003 (Phase I: 2003-2005 and Phase II: 2006-2010). In 2011, WHRAP-South Asia completed the initiative’s Bridging Period (October 2010 to June 2011) and began with Phase III (July 2011 to June 2014). Phase III continues to be implemented as a partnership programme with Danish Family Planning Association (DFPA) as the international partner, ARROW as the regional partner, five leading South Asian national women’s organisations—Beyond Beijing Committee (BBC) in Nepal, Naripokkho in Bangladesh, Shirkat Gah in Pakistan, Centre for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness (CHETNA) and SAHAYOG in India—and 42 community based organisations (CBOs) in the four countries. In 2011, the decision to expand WHRAP-South Asia to cover the entire South Asia sub-region, to include now Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, also started to be implemented.

A key component of ARROW’s work in the Asia and Pacific region is the Women’s Health and Rights Advocacy Partnership (WHRAP) programme. Through WHRAP, we are able to strengthen the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) agenda. This modality supports joint strategic planning and evidence-based advocacy on government commitments to bring about real changes in the lives of women, youth, their families and communities. WHRAP has created new advocacy opportunities that heighten the demand for better health governance and accountability.

The influence and reach of WHRAP across 14 countries in the Asia and Pacific region and its significance in global advocacy interventions justifies the need of building sustainable partnerships. WHRAP now reaches out to over 247,780

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REGIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2011

Transition to Phase III: In 2011, ARROW coordinated WHRAP-South Asia’s transition from the Bridging Period to Phase III, which included ARROW and WHRAP-South Asia partners’ successful assessments. In January, Danida carried out a capacity assessment of DFPA and its partners, ARROW, Naripokkho and BBC, to understand if the organisations can handle administrative and professional capacity to implement the initiative in accordance within the proposed programme, rather than project, approach. ARROW left a positive image on the assessors, citing that programmes are solidly grounded in evidence, ARROW uses international best practice in the design and management of the WHRAP programme, and that ARROW has institutional experience and has successfully managed the leadership transfer. The consultants strongly recommended that Danida support WHRAP-South Asia initiatives at all levels.

WHAT CONSULTANTS SAID:

We are deeply impressed!! We hope to see you in the forefront of defining the follow-on of the MDGs for Women’s Empowerment and Health. Great Job!! (Birte Holm Sorenson and Helge Kjersem, Danida Consultants for Capacity Assessment of ARROW)

After the assessment, DFPA and ARROW reviewed achievements of the Bridging Period, discussed the mode of cooperation between DFPA and ARROW for Phase III and the implementation plan for Phase III. This was followed by a visit to CHETNA and two of their CBOs in India to evaluate the work carried out at local and state levels.

An extensive baseline study for WHRAP-SA Phase III commenced on the last quarter of 2011. This aimed to collect data that would assist in rethinking the partnerships advocacy strategies to make more strategic investments in influencing policy change on SRHR,particularly in the area of Continuum of Care for Reproductive, Maternal, Adolescent, Newborn and Child Health.

Partnership Growth: ARROW took the lead in designing and implementing processes to begin the expansion of WHRAP-South Asia to Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. These processes began in April 2011, with an assessment of the SRHR country situation to aid identification of potential partners. In the case of Afghanistan, an analysis, taking into account the current political strife and security situation in Afghanistan and focusing on maternal health and related issues including current policies on health, was presented to the Steering Committee of WHRAP-South Asia, with future stepsto be discussed. Similarly, after a study on Bhutan’s SRHR landscape, a meeting with the civil society in 2012 is in the offing. The Maldives assessment brought out existing developmental challenges in the country. On the other hand,the SRHR realities faced by women in Sri Lanka led to an ARROW-organised Round Table in April 2011, in Colombo, which exposed some policy gaps in ensuring continuum of care to the marginalised women.

Reinforced Advocacy: With the inception of Phase III, advocacy officers were recruited by all WHRAP- SA partners, including ARROW, to enhance and up-scale the advocacy work that WHRAP-SA does. Advocacy positions and strategies were sharpened through a number of regional meetings throughout the year, including three Steering Committee meetings and one Advocacy Coordination meeting. A position paper on continuum of quality care framework for women’s reproductive health was developed for the purpose of monitoring the policies formulated in South Asian region for the marginalised section.

Some WHRAP-South Asia interventions in 2011 include:• At the 2nd Asian Rural Women’s Conference (ARWC)

(29-30 March, 2011, Chennai, India), ARROW made a presentation on WHRAP-South Asia’s work on Asia’s SRHR issues in the opening plenary session. ARROW also shared the trends and emerging issues on women’s SRHR in Asia based on WHRAP-SA and ICPD monitoring experience. As an ARWC Steering Committee member,


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ARROW contributed to ARWC’s 2011-2012 strategic plan. As a result, ARWC was able to come up with a collective plan of action that identified various mechanisms such as organising, building alliances, legal and meta-legal actions and others.

• At the Affirming Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights: CSO Consultation at the 17th Session of the Human Rights Council (30 May - 17 June, Geneva), which was co-organised by Asia-Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) and the International Women’s Right Action Watch (IWRAW) Asia-Pacific,a WHRAP-South Asia Steering Committee member spoke on systemic and structural causes hindering the full realisation of women’s SRHR.

• At the “Advancing Reproductive Health and Rights” workshop (28-29 May, Thailand), organised by the International Planned Parenthood Federation –South Asia Regional Office (IPPF-SARO) and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD), ARROW’s participation provided an opportunity to share WHRAP’s experiences of working with parliamentarians in the region to promote reproductive health and rights in the workshop.

• At the 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR) (19-22 October, Yogyakarta, Indonesia), SAHAYOG presented the WHRAP advocacy model at a side event on Advocacy for Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights.

Strengthened Capacities of Partners: 2011 saw the strengthening of all partners’ capacities on advocacy, monitoring and evaluation, as well as on analytical reporting. Capacity building exercises included the Monitoring and Evaluation workshop (27-29 April, Sri Lanka), a learning visit to Makwanpur District in Nepal (December 15-16, 2011) to learn from BBC’s WHRAP work on the ground, and a workshop on analytical report writing (17 December, 2011). Partners also developed national advocacy plans through a workshop (18 -19 December 2011) that utilised the WHRAP-South Asia advocacy resource book, Making a Difference: Improving Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in South Asia.

Positive Outcomes: • Built a clear concept on how to analyse the report on

the advocacy issue• Discussions enriched the group exercise on advocacy

and activity level • Useful discussion on how to do analytical reporting • Clarity on analytical reporting process

Increased Visibility for WHRAP-SA: ARROW launched a new look for the WHRAP-South Asia website (www.whrap.org). Since its launch in November 2011, more than 2,000 hits have been recorded. Additionally, promotional materials such as a book mark and post card on WHRAP-South Asia and its achievements in Phase II were designed and disseminated at various events. 1,000 copies of each were disseminated at APCRSHR as well as at various events in Nepal in December. Lastly, the WHRAP-SA Advocacy Resource Book, Making a Difference: Improving Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in South Asia,was published and distributed to partners for use in their advocacy workshops.

Strengthened Partnership with More Partnership Meetings: As a learning derived from Phase II to provide more experience-sharing to partners for enhanced learning, Phase III has at least two Steering Committee (SC) and Working Group (WG) meetings every year.

This will strengthen the partnership and also aid better implementation of advocacy strategies. In 2011, ARROW organised three SC and two WG meetings. The first SC meeting was held on April 29-30, 2011, in Sri Lanka, to discuss the implementation of Phase III plans, while the second was held in Copenhagen, Denmark in September 2011 to finalise the new narrative reporting format, and assess the strength of WHRAP-SA as a partnership. The third SC meeting was a special meeting held in December focusing largely on WHRAP-South Asia’s position on Continuum of Care.

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NATIONAL AND LOCAL LEVEL ACHIEVEMENTS IN 2011

National partners in WHRAP-South Asia are particularly focused on mobilisation of marginalised women to increase demand for quality SRHR services. Within the nine months of the Bridging Period from October 2010 to June 2011, the national and local partners directly and indirectly reached out to about 145,065 people, majority of them being grassroots women.

Capacity Building: The capacity building trainings of CBOs in various countries of South Asia contributed in greater awareness about women’s SRHR and in the mobilisation of support for marginalised women’s health care services from the authorities. BBC, CHETNA, Naripokkho and Shirkat Gah carried out a variety of capacity building workshops in WHRAP areas for CBOs and grassroots women.

The themes were mostly concerned with maternal morbidity, newborn care, safe abortion and delivery, access to contraceptives and other reproductive health and rights and issues. Additionally, Shirkat Gah built the capacity of 38 people, including TBAs and CBO staff, through trainings for improved maternal health. Media-persons were also invited by BBC for workshops on reporting skills and modalities for issues related to women’s SRHR and reproductive rights.

Campaigns and Mobilisation: Naripokkho created 32 women’s groups at the village level to mobilise these women in seeking health care services from policy makers. A woman’s coalition formed by Naripokkho for women’s health rights in the Patuakhali district organised a campaign in Patuakhali demanding assignment of doctors at the district hospital, which had multi-stakeholder involvement, including of journalists, lawyers, teachers, labour organisation representatives, religious personalities, and important community persons. CHETNA mobilised 480 village leaders and 17,852 women to advocate for access to public health services. The CBO partners along with SAHAYOG and allies of the Health Watch Forum organised celebrations to mark the International Day of Action on Women’s Health.

Additionally, BBC organised an advocacy dialogue in Morang district, Nepal with Local Development Officers, service providers and CSOs on women’s SRHR. As a result, the Local Development Officer of Morang district promised to provide financial support to WHRAP activities in case of lack of budget.

Creation of Advocacy and Awareness Strategies and Tools: CHETNA, located in a Western state of India, through its work of addressing under-nutrition of mother and child, brought together a range of key stakeholders to consolidate advocacy efforts. Specifically, CHETNA developed a strategy and implementation mechanism, which was submitted to the Principal Secretary (Planning), Government of Gujarat. In Rajasthan, an advocacy strategy for maternal health helped in the development of a collective civil society voice on the issue of CoC. Naripokkho formed a Health Advisory Committee with members from the Health Rights Movement and health experts. The CBOs in Naripokkho’s WHRAP area also collected eight case studies to find out the causes of death, to assess women’s behaviour during and after pregnancy, local health-care facilities and others.

A variety of advocacy and awareness-raising tools were also developed in 2011. CHETNA developed a newsletter on Maternal-Newborn Continuum of Care; a paper on nutrition, food security and the need for contraceptives; a strategy for implementation of the Nutrition Mission; a briefing kit; and posters on maternal health. CHETNA also developed a policy brief to address under nutrition in Gujarat and submitted to the government of Gujarat in June 2011. Shirkat Gah’s CBOs in Punjab, Pakistan developed hand-made charts and cards for capacity building sessions with illiterate youth. SAHAYOG documented the experiences of MSAM and their success stories in a book, while Naripokkho produced a pamphlet on eclampsia to create awareness and prevent maternal deaths.

Connecting with Stakeholders: All the WHRAP-SA partners work through an advocacy strategy that centres on being engaged with civil society and government


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representatives. Shirkat Gah worked with the government and parliamentarians to expedite the passage of the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Act, 2009, for uniform age of marriage for all, regardless of religion. BBC has built a rapport with Family Health Division.

Naripokkho has engaged local health administration personnel in the WHRAP area. These involvements are aimed to raise the quality of healthcare services provided through the public health system. Meanwhile,CHETNA regularly provides information to parliamentarians, a request that came after conducting an orientation for parliamentarians on adolescent health and nutrition in a meeting organised by Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (IAPPD) in New Delhi.

Reinforcing Linkages: Shirkat Gah strengthened its networking with TBAs as well as regular interactions with government health and related officials. CHETNA, as in Phase II, joined hands with existing state level networks and alliances such as Regional Resource Centre, SUMA-Rajasthan White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood and People’s Health Movement Gujarat; it also built an alliance with IAPPD. BBC extended its network with district level youth groups, school teachers and private health professionals of Makwanpur district by including them in capacity building activities.

At the national level, BBC strengthened its networking as a part of the Reproductive Health Coordination Committee. Naripokkho maintained regular communication with members of Doorbar Network as well as district Right to Health Movement Alliances. SAHAYOG continues to be a secretariat of NAMHHR and IIMMHR.

Reactivation of Health Committees: As a result of Naripokkho’s CBOs in Barisal district, the Union Parishad Standing Committee on Education, Health and Family Planning members have become aware of their duties and responsibilities and have held committee meetings more regularly.

Improved Local Health Services: The advocacy carried out by Naripokkho in Nepal resulted in better quality of health services and food provided to patients in Barisal district. Vacant posts of the doctors were filled in the Barguna district hospital, and 31 out of 62 Union Health and Family Planning Centres in the Barisal Division are operating as per regulations. Meanwhile, as a result of the workshop BBC organised with district level health personnel in Makwanpur district, Nepal, a positive change in behaviour and attitude of the health personnel towards safe abortion service has been observed, resulting in an increase in the number of people receiving services from the facilities.

SRHR Highlighted through WHRAP-SA: Participation of WHRAP in various national conferences and seminars has led to increased visibility of WHRAP advocacy issues in public discourse and to increased media attention and coverage. For example, the seminar organised by Naripokkho at the South Asian Social Forum held in Dhaka, from November 18-22, 2011, was the only one focusing on SRHR. BBC, in partnership with a radio station in Nepal, produced 18 episodes of a half-hour Reproductive Health Programme from January to June 2011. The show provided an in-depth knowledge on safe abortion and uterine prolapse and was well-received by listeners. Meanwhile, SAHAYOG piqued media’s interest in women’s SRHR through reported stories of death caused by sterilisation in Uttar Pradesh. Advocacy activities by partners CHETNA and BBC were also well-covered by the state level and local media.

Recognition of Partners as Important Advocacy Groups: WHRAP national partners have increasingly been recognised as important policy advocacy organisations, and as such have been specially invited to provide input in national planning processes and policy development. For example, SAHAYOG has been invited to be part of Technical Resource Group on Maternal Health constituted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the national level. Similarly, CHETNA was invited to provide inputs at the Indian National 12th Five-Year Plan processes and in the review of the

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Partners Target Population Groups Area of CoverageTotal Direct

‘Beneficiaries’

Burma:Burma Medical As-sociation, Migrant Assistant Programme, Myanmar Posi-tive Women Network

Young migrant workers, young people, and women who live with HIV and AIDS

Organisations work inside Burma and in the border areas of Burma- Thailand

300

(85% young women; 15% young men)

Cambodia: Reproductive Health Association of Cam-bodia (RHAC)

Young people in Siem Riep province who do not have access to youth friendly SRHR services and live in poverty

1 district including 2 health cen-ters, 4 communes, 35 villages, and 70 peer group educators

5,000

(70% young women, 30% young men)

China: Yunnan Health Development and Research Association (YHDRA)

Young ethnic minorities and young migrant workers

1 district, including 28 Village De-velopment Committee

10,000

(50% young women and 50% young men)

Indonesia: Yayasan Jurnal Perempuan (YJP)

Young people who live in religious fun-damentalist settings, and young people living with HIV/AIDS

3 provinces andnational level advocacy

3,000


Lao PDR: University of Health Sciences (UHS)

Young people living with HIV/AIDS, young ethnic minorities

2 districts, including 84 villages

15,000

(80% young women, and 20% young men)

Philippines: Likhaan Centre for Women’s Health

Young women living in poverty, youth with diverse sexual orientation

1 cityin Metro Manila, with national and provincial level advocacy

2,000

(100% young women)

Vietnam: Centre for Cre-ative Innovation in Health and Population (CCIHP)

Young factory workers5 factories in North Thang Long industrial zone

2,000


Regional: Activities for young people

Young activists, young people from marginalised backgrounds

Young leaders from young people’s network in Asia-Pacific especially from South East Asia and Mekong region who participated in regional activities

490

(Young women ac-counts for 75% of the beneficiaries)

Total 37,640

Table 3.WHRAP-South East Asia Partners and Outreach


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National Rural Health Mission process. Further, CHETNA also advocated for WHRAP issues through participation in the activities of UN agencies such as UNICEF, UNFPA and UNESCO.

WHRAP-SOUTH EAST ASIA: ADVOCATING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE’S SRHR

In South East Asia, ARROW is the only women’s organisation that delivers a focused initiative addressing young people’s sexuality. Exceeding expectations in 2011, the Women’s Health and Rights Advocacy Partnership South East Asia (WHRAP-SEA) has institutionalised its accountability, especially towards marginalised young people, leading to better policies and hence better SRHR outcomes for young people in South East Asia. Young people and their civil society partners in the Mekong Region (Burma, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam)are now able to bring claims and rights issues to the local and national forums for decision-making. Improved knowledge and practice amongst local health workers and educators with regards to SRHR is now visible.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS: REGIONAL

Mobilisation and Outreach: Through its WHRAP-South East Asia initiative with nine partners, ARROW reached out to 37,640 marginalised young people in Burma-Thailand, Cambodia, China, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam. The national partners and regional mobilisation informed young people to claim their rights to access comprehensive sexuality education and youth friendly health services. Further, the initiative enabled engagement of young people in advocacy mobilisation.

The initiative focused its outreach to young people from diverse backgrounds, such as women living with HIV, migrant workers, factory workers, the youth living in poor urban communities, girls from ethnic groups, young people who are oppressed by religious fundamentalisms,and also engaged young men and boys.

Advocacy and Capacity Building through Linkages: The WHRAP-SEA partnership has showcased the importance of inter-linkages between various movements, such as women’s, youth and human rights, to address the SRHR issues of young people, especially in advancing access to comprehensive sexuality education.

WHRAP-SEA, in collaboration with youth-led networks and women’s organisations, has enabled the creation of advocacy and capacity building opportunities. Around 450 youth people from the region have benefitted from this partnership through advocacy experiences at the ASEAN People’s Forum 2011, the 10th International Congress on HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific (ICAAP) and the 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (APCRSHR). The partnership has also targeted various United Nations processes, as well as the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). ARROW worked with the ASEAN forum organisers to create specific youth forums, as well as to create spaces for young people to present their concerns at these conferences.

These meetings and summits include:

1. The ASEAN Youth Forum and the ASEAN People’s Forum preceding the ASEAN Summit, held in May 2011, at Jakarta, Indonesia, which allowed for identification of common issues among ASEAN youth and ways to address them. This summit also brought together youth, women, minority and marginalised groups on a single platform.

2. The 10th ICAAP, held on August 24-September 1, 2011, at Busan, South Korea on HIV and ADS and women, where ARROW and WHRAP-SEA launched the `Unzip the Lips’ campaign together with APA and APCASO. The campaign sought to offer a safe and inclusive space for affected women to have a dialogue on HIV and AIDS.

3. At the 6th APCRSHR Youth Pre-conference Caucus, held n October 18-25, 2011, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, ARROW’s national partners and youth network associations in Indonesia helped design sessions on comprehensive sexuality education.

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Young people spoke out on issues such as access to youth friendly services, religious fundamentalism and its impact on young people’s leadership on SRHR, and policies on HIV/AIDS. Consequently, we witnessed advance discussions on young people’s (especially young women and girls) SRHR issues through a gendered lens.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTS: NATIONAL

Burma: 2011 marked the beginning of ARROW’s partnership building with Burmese organisations, wherein WHRAP-SEA created a safe platform for over 35 representatives from 17 organisations working inside and around the border areas of Burma on the issues of women’s human rights and HIV/AIDS.

A Burmese Civil Society Roundtable in Chiang Mai was held in February 2011. The dialogue highlighted that the economic sanctions on Burma have affected the youth as health and education budget allocations are the most hit. In this context, the question of foreign aid access to the youth is significant. Youth groups working in the area of SRHR also act on political issues in the wider sense. The will to change circumstances for the own individual life and those of the community is a political act in itself.

The dialogue prepared ARROW with information it needed in creating its Burma Partnership for WHRAP-SEA. The partnership which formally began in mid-2011, brought together three organisations and networks that work on SRHR and HIV/AIDS issues in Burma and for the Burmese people. First is the Myanmar Positive Women’s Network (MPWN),an emerging advocacy network of over 3,000 members of women living with HIV/AIDS across 11 provinces in Burma. In 2011, the network worked on strengthening its structure and organisational development and helping women and young people living with HIV/AIDS by addressing problems of stigma and discrimination. Second is the Burma Medical Association, a network of health providers which has, as part of WHRAP-SEA, focussed its work in expanding and further strengthening the reproductive health network. The third organisation is Migrant Assistance Programme

(MAP) Foundation,which has an ongoing strong programme on HIV and AIDS for migrants from Burma to Thailand.

Cambodia: WHRAP-SEA initiative kicked off in Cambodia in 2009, a country where most of the community health centres in the Krabey Riel and Pourk areas of Siem Reap province do not provide sexual and reproductive health services to young people. The Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia (RHAC) initiated a dialogue with local government officials in this area to explore further collaboration. The dialogue resulted in commitment from local stakeholders, to take part as advisor for WHRAP-SEA activities. In particular, advocacy on youth issues was identified as a key programme area. Additionally, RHAC has conducted educational meetings for selected young people and 70 young people from 35 villages located in the WHRAP-SEA area of Siem Reap.

By the end of 2011, three staff members and WHRAP-SEA intern at RHAC facilitated and mobilised 68 active young people, 15 health service providers, and 16 commune committee for women and children members in Siem Riep, Riel and Pourk Oungrh provinces as key players for the WHRAP-SEA initiative in Cambodia. RHAC focus on advocacy activities produced a mechanism that would respond to the priority needs of young people, named Access for Youth Friendly Services (YFS) at the government health centres. As an outcome, the SRHR activities for young people were included in the commune investment plan (CIP) of the respective catchment communes.

Social events (concerts) were organised in the coverage community to promote youth friendly services in local health facilities, to showcase youth SRHR real stories and to stir up the local authorities for their support for the young people. Through WHRAP-SEA initiative, the number of young people who accessed YFS at government health centres increased. Furthermore, a comprehensive Sexuality Education curriculum has been developed and trainings have been conducted and shared with relevant stakeholders, as well as active young people and staff at province level.


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China: As a research organisation, the Yunnan Health Development Research Association (YHDRA) promotes an active role of community in its research activities. This has been recognised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as an achievement for YHDRA, which has been incorporated into the design and delivery of the WHRAP-SEA. The initiative recognises the reality that minority ethnic youth have little access to sexual education and related health services. As part of YHDRA’s WHRAP-South East Asia activities, an intervention initiative on research and capacity building was piloted in four communities in a Yunnan-Burma border area. With the help of some experts the research team examined the socio-cultural background of the two targeted ethnic minorities (De’ang and Jing Po).

A local project executive team (PET) was established, which aimed to enable the community to work together for promoting sexual and reproductive health of young people. Twelve youth from the pilot community were nominated for a survey-based project on Young People from Jing Po Ethnic Minority Sexuality and Needs Assessment. Data on knowledge of sexual health, awareness and practice of prevention behaviour, general perceptions of HIV/AIDS transmission was collected through questionnaires, interviews and FGDs. The results of this baseline survey depict the local realities of ethnic minority young people’s sexuality issues.

After conduct of the baseline research, YHDRA organised a training of trainers (ToT) activity for ethnic leaders in four project sites across Yunnan, focusing on sexual health, abortion, bodily integrity and power relations. Through the participation of young staff members in regional activities for WHRAP-SEA, they were able to create a network of young people on SRHR, HIV/AIDS and beyond as well as to integrate regional networking activity within the programmes at the national level.

To further mobilise the youth constituency, a contest was organised to raise awareness on the integration of HIV and AIDS and SRHR. Additionally, a series of newsletters for ethnic youth were developed by ethnic youth themselves, as

part of the internship programme for young women leaders. The team also did a translation of ARROWs for Change into Mandarin, and developed an article focused on the results of the baseline study. Interestingly, Jingpo Pioneer Organisation, an ethnic youth network, which emerged from the activity has gained additional small funds from the Ford Foundation to actively contribute to national conferences on sexual education for teachers.

Indonesia: Yayasan Jurnal Perempuan (Women Journal Foundation, YJP)started its youth programme in 2008. It initially focused on information dissemination that mainstreamed women’s rights related information in pop culture media. Through its partnership with WHRAP-SEA, YJP has strengthened the advocacy and capacity building component of its youth programme. YJP has taken on a leadership role for the creation of a national young people’s SRHR advocacy group called Konsorsium Nasional Kesehatan Reproduksi dan Hak Seksual Remaja (National Consortium on Young People’s SRHR). The alliance works at the local and national levels on diverse issues such as youth leadership, human rights—pro-democratic movement, environment, fair trade, HIV/AIDS and SRHR.

In 2011, YJP completed all of its tools to support advocacy works to promote Comprehensive Sexuality Education based on the needs of young people. A systematic capacity building plan facilitated by youth activists in Indramayu and Padang also led to the establishment of their own youth network. A dialogue with local government officials in Indramayu was organised, and as a result the government was motivated to replicate the series of strategies to empower youth-led networks on SRHR. As such the youth in Indramayu now have been given a space by the local government for their activities and they have been involved in local government activities in relation to SRHR. For the youth network in Jakarta, a consortium has developed and series of discussion from cross sectional issue has been done. The consortium of youth network for SRHR played a crucial role in addressing young people’s SRHR issues during ASEAN People’s Forum 2011 and the 6th Asia-Pacific Conference on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (APCSRHR).

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Lao PDR: The Faculty of Postgraduate Studies, University of Health Sciences envisions being able to redress the gender imbalance in responses to issues relating to young people’s SRHR and HIV and AIDS. As WHRAP-SEA is their first initiative, which addresses young ethnic minorities’ sexuality, the Faculty is advocating for the rights of young women to access comprehensive sexuality education. The issue of early marriage among ethnic rural adolescent girls is also being attended to. As part of WHRAP-SEA initiative, the Faculty has researched on young people’s sexuality among Akha ethnic minorities. The Akha community is one of the indigenous groups in the northern part of Lao PDR. The research titled, “Knowledge, attitude towards sexual reproductive health among adolescent girls and their accessibility to ASRH services in Luangnamtha province, Lao PDR,” has found that the Akha people still practice harmful practices, such as forced early marriage.

Based on the research findings from this study, an intervention on sexuality education was developed. A series of workshop on the consultation of the content of the training guideline was carried out with different stakeholders such as Vientiane Lao Youth Centre, Lao Youth Union, Lao Women’s Union, UNICEF and UNFPA.

The training guideline on sexuality education has been implemented in seven villages out of Long district, with the first training on sexuality education for Akha ethnic girls being carried out in Long district, Luangnamtha province in August. The 20 participants who joined the training will be trainer for their peers in addressing ethnic group needs of SRHR information-especially for girls.

The research team also carried out the local expert meeting in Luangnamtha province and in the central Vientiane Capital city in order to promote comprehensive sexuality education for out-of-school youth, especially ethnic group and young people who lived in remote areas. An advocacy training and dialogue with 60 young people out-of school girls was carried out in collaboration with the Vientiane Youth Centre to increase awareness of young people related to sexuality

and comprehensive sexuality education. At the advocacy campaign, the ARROWs for Change Lao translation was distributed and utilised.

Apart from the research and subsequent programme implementation, another key component of the WHRAP-South East Asia initiative is the creation of a partnership with local NGOs. A young people-led network, Lao Youth Union, also emerged to achieve sustainable leadership for a youth led SRHR movement. Moreover, local authorities such as the provincial health department have supported this partnership.

The Philippines: Likhaan Centre for Women’s Health was established in 1995 as a collective of grassroots women and men, health advocates and professionals is dedicated to promoting the health and rights of disadvantaged women and their communities. It has since then developed models of care that help harness the social creative powers of women and young people.

For its WHRAP-SEA initiative, Likhaan has; i) put together and oriented people who implemented the initiative (both at the central office and the community site); ii) reviewed demographic and health data on sexual and reproductive health conditions; iii) completed the research design; iv) trained project staff in organisational skills; v) facilitated focus group discussions (FGDs); and, vi) had initial discussions with community stakeholders.

The operational research has gone through a qualitative research phase to generate key areas of measurement and intervention for the next quantitative phase. This research allowed the community to systematically document the realities faced by young people on the limitation of information and services on SRHR provided to young people. It focused on how to prevent unintended pregnancies among adolescents aged 15-19 in an urban poor community. The research’s preliminary findings provided strategic evidence-based input that is timely to the advocacy mobilisation in pushing the parliament to legalise the RH


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Bill in the Philippines. Furthermore, the research resulted in a curriculum on comprehensive sexuality education that is now being used to inform young mothers in urban poor communities about their bodies.

Vietnam: The Centre for Creative Innovative in Health and Population (CCIHP), worked together with the Central Enterprise Youth Union of Vietnam, to help youth workers get access to SRHR information and services. A preliminary study to investigate young factory workers needs on SRHR was conducted and some of the findings focused on certain issues; for example, unwanted abortion, sexual abuse, STIs, including HIV and AIDS, are on the rise.

Based on these findings, a team of CCIHP members, and labour rights organisation created a curriculum on comprehensive sexuality education for young factory workers. A five-day training for trainers (ToT) was organised for selected young factory workers to cover issues on gender and SRHR. From this workshop, the trainers conducted more trainings in the selected factories and 10 clubs were established which covered about 200 factory workers. However, the impact of economic crisis led to some factories

cut down on work and work-force. From these trainings and peer education sessions emerged the need to map the available youth-friendly services around the factories. CCHIP commissioned this study and disseminated this information to the clubs.

Advocacy has been a key strategy for the initiative with CCHIP and simultaneous lobbying to the factory managers and labour unions has pushed for the acknowledgement of young worker’s rights on their SRHR. As a result, four factories agreed to put the curriculum on comprehensive sexuality education for young worker as a compulsory session to be attended by the workers and they still got their wages while attending these sessions.

ADVANCING MIGRANT WOMEN’S SRHR: WHRAP-CHINA

The WHRAP-China initiative focused on migrant women in urban centres, one of the most vulnerable populations in China. Chinese migrant women are not covered by the social health insurance and constitute the largest group involving cases of maternal death and associated morbidities. In its first phase, which was funded by Oxfam Novib from 2008-2010, WHRAP-China reached out to 107 communities, 17 private enterprises and directly benefitted at least 50,000 migrant women in China. It also successfully managed to increase budget allocations and advocacy interactions to improve programmes for migrant women. However, the changing global donor environment and China’s rapid development have created a resource crunch, preventing the continuation of the initiative into the second phase.

Nevertheless, in September 2010, through a small grant from Population Action International (PAI), WHRAP-China partners engaged in a small initiative called MDG-SRHR Monitoring and Advocacy, which was an innovative component linking WHRAP-China and the MDG-SRHR monitoring work that ARROW has been doing in the region. This initiative brought together all the WHRAP-China partners from Beijing, Heilongjiang, Shanghai and Yunnan,as well as policy makers, civil society and academic institutions.

WHRAP SEA Regional Youth MovingSource: ARROW Photobank

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ARROW shared with initiative partners the related reference papers on the progress of MDGs in China and issues concerning the Chinese migrant women’s SRHR. We translated and distributed ARROW’s MDG Regional Brief,MDG5 in Asia—Progress, Gaps and Challenges 2000-2010,which analysed the progress of MDG 5 in different countries of Asia, and provided China partners and research institutes a context to understand MDG5.

ARROW also organised a workshop on Linking MDG 3 (Gender Equality) and MDG 5 (Improve Maternal Health) in the Context of Chinese Migrant Women’s SRHR on 21 March 2011, in Beijing, China. The workshop benefited from three resource persons from the China Population and Development Research Centre (CPDRC), the China Women’s University (CWU) and Yunnan Health and Development Association (YHDRA), which are prominent Chinese organisations holding strong research and advocacy experience on issues of Chinese migrant population’s SRHR. At the workshop, partners conducted an analytical mapping of the national and state level policies and regulations around women’s development, health and family planning (reproductive health).

The MDG-SRHR Monitoring and Advocacy Workshop strengthened the partners’ perspectives around MDGs and its critical linkages to SRHR in China. ARROW’s regional experience in MDG monitoring and ICPD review has enriched the process for developing the SRHR advocacy in China context.

The WHRAP-China partners made longer-term plans for cooperation. Heilongjiang Women’s Federation and YHDRA planned to collaborate on initiating a pilot initiative on migrant women’s equal rights and access to sexual and reproductive health in the context of the multiple-ministry policy, which is emphasising on equal public service to the migrant population and the urban counterpart. Shanghai Women’s Healthcare Institute planned to continue their advocacy with the Health Department to sustain finance support to the maternal health hospitals so that the hospitals will be willing to provide

low-cost maternal health to pregnant migrant women and contribute to a decrease the MMR in the general population in Shanghai. Beijing Zhongze Women’s Legal Counselling Service and Service Centre planned to work on protecting migrant women against the sexual violence through legal litigation, as well as workshops with key stakeholders.

These plans, however, are hampered by resource constraints. Moreover, the vitality of the Chinese civil society has weakened due to increased restrictions by the central government, limiting civil society’s voice for policy on the migrant women’s SRHR. The Hukou system (the household registration system in China) remains a critical barrier for migrant women’s entitlement of equal rights in health and other social welfare. Policymaking to ensure that migrant women are able to access SRH services involve multiple ministries, needing a long process for advocacy and coordination. It is thus critical to continue to invest in continuous efforts and inputs in SRHR advocacy for migrant Chinese women.

WHRAP China Partners from Beijing & Heilongjiang at the partnerships Advocacy Planning Meeting (22-23 March 2011,

Beijing, China)Source: Nalini Singh (ARROW Photobank)


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WHRAP: WAY FORWARD

WHRAP initiatives in South Asia, South East Asia and China have presented viable advocacy partnership models that enable evidence-based advocacy on SRHR. Both South Asia and South East Asia have seen expansion in terms of geographic outreach and partners.

With strong support from its donor, WHRAP-South Asia in Phase III of its implementation sees an expansion of the current initiative area (Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan) to include the other four SAARC countries (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka). WHRAP-SA focused on its advocacy positioning, strategy development and management frameworks in 2011. In 2012, ARROW and WHRAP-South Asia will fully implement Phase III, including carrying out baseline activities such as partner visits. The paper on Continuum of Care for Reproductive, Maternal, Adolescent, Newborn and Child Health, which will be the basis of WHRAP-SA’s advocacy strategy, as well as the revised monitoring and evaluation framework, will both be finalised. There will be continuous efforts to intervene in key advocacy platforms, ensure media coverage, and provide regular update of ARROW website, as well as implement a more intensive and enhanced partnership modality. Round Table Dialogues in Bhutan and Maldives will be carried out, and a plan to bring in the new countries in the activities will be finalised and implemented accordingly from this year.

In WHRAP-South East Asia, it has been very encouraging to note the participatory process used by partners to engage young people, especially young women from grassroots communities, in creating comprehensive sexuality education curriculum for the marginalised. Creation of youth-led networks with diverse backgrounds outside the city settings has strengthened the advocacy efforts. For 2012, WHRAP-SEA will continue to facilitate cross-national learning, as well as foster cross-regional learning and exchange from WHRAP-SEA partners. It will also advance regional cooperation with Indonesia, Philippines and China. To advance the utilisation of multigenerational partnership that has emerged from the

internship programme, WHRAP-SEA will facilitate the creation of a young women’s regional network to promote SRHR issues, which encompass ICPD+20, Rio+20, and MDGs+15 processes.

With the expansion of the WHRAP modality though its joint strategic planning, monitoring and evidence-based advocacy on government commitments to ensuring SRHR,it is hoped that in 2012, ARROW will be able to convene WHRAP-Asia-Pacific as a platform which aims to achieve real and relevant changes in SRHR-related policies. ARROW will be able to establish what it envisioned over a decade ago of an Asia-Pacific-wide partnership modality for improving capacities of civil society.

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Community Women in Gujarat Source: Nalini Singh (ARROW Photobank)


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Global and Regional Advocacy and Networking

focus on universal access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health rather than narrowly on maternal and child health; and review, and for inclusion of women’s rights and health NGOs from the global South and from the Asia-Pacific region in discussions related to SRHR.

ARROW participated in several key global and regional campaigns and calls to actions in 2011. ARROW strongly condemns the attacks and killing of human rights defenders across the world, and as such supported actions called on by Fundacion para Estudio e Investigacion de la Mujer—FEIM (killing of Ugandan gay activist), written a solidarity statement on the killing of a Mexican writer and activist Susana Chavez, strongly condemned the killing of a young Indonesian LGBT activist Shakira Lopez, and others. ARROW also took a stance as an organisation based in Malaysia to speak out on the increasing influence from religious bodies on women’s reproductive health and rights and as such had a letter published in a major Malaysian daily newspaper. ARROW also supported calls for regional and international meetings to highlight the need for stronger linkages with gender SRHR and HIV (eg., the Asia Pacific Alliance for SRHR letter to UNAIDS for their Asia Pacific Regional Consultation on Universal Access which was received affirmatively). ARROW also joined calls for support of work done by various UN mandates (e.g., a joint NGO statement in support of a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health, Anand Grover, on criminalisation and other legal barriers to sexual and reproductive health to be presented to the UN General Assembly in October 2011.)

Believing in the power of effective collaborations and partnerships, ARROW is a member of key regional and international networks such as the Asia Pacific Women’s Watch (APWW); Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR) International Steering Committee; Asian Rural Women’s Coalition (ARWC); Asia Safe Abortion Partnership (ASAP); Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies (CSBR); Repoliticising Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Group; Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM); Strategies

Aside from advocacy done through our monitoring and evidence-generation and WHRAP programmes described above, ARROW did other strategic policy advocacy activities in 2011.

The report of the global meeting Repoliticising SRHR held in Langkawi, Malaysia in 2010 was co-published by ARROW in 2011. Hosted by ARROW, the meeting involved 50 participants from all over the world. It discussed the critical issues related to the politics of SRHR in the post-ICPD and post-MDG era, and the need to bring back the politics of power into the SRHR discourse.

ARROW, with 22 country partners from across Asia-Pacific, wrote to the new Executive Director of UNFPA Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin calling for strong leadership from UNFPA on SRHR and ICPD PoA implementation; for the agency to

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from the South initiative; and Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR).

Organisational Development

ARROW has always placed significant emphasis on the need for increased attention to organisational strength, because it is led by the belief that to have impact, an organisation needs to be strong and effective. Organisational development involves accountable decision-making mechanisms, sound human resource management policies,effective financial and administrative processes, and enhanced learning and sharing processes within ARROW and amongst partners on good organisational practices.

The main highlights in the area of organisational development in 2011 had been drafting of ARROW’s new Strategic Plan, ARROW’s external evaluation, the recruitment process of new ED, and the strengthening of ARROW’s financial management system.

As core funder, Sida supports this section of ARROW.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

ARROW’s growth as an organisation rests a lot upon its strategic plans. The development of Strategic Plan 2012-2016, the seventh such plan of the organisation, began with the participatory process of ARROW’s partners,members of the Board of Directors, members of the Programme Advisory Committee (PAC), and staff, at the Strategic Planning Meeting in Penang, Malaysia in May 2010. The first draft of the Strategic Plan was developed in 2011 and a more concise version will be written and finalised in 2012, with Board approval.

EVALUATION

The organisational external evaluation of the preceding Strategic Plan 2006-2011 was done in conjunction with the development of ARROW’s new strategic plan 2012-2016.

Conducted by Lin Chew and Mary Jane Real, two esteemed women’s rights activists from the region, the evaluation addressed key questions related to four areas: achievements, challenges and lessons learnt as a result of implementing the 2006-2011 Strategic Plan; ARROW’s unique contributions to the global SRHR advocacy agenda; partnerships; and organisational development.

The external evaluation reports that ARROW has made significant progress in both programmatic and organisational development in the five years under review and this has strengthened and enhanced its unique position in the global SRHR movement. ARROW’s key achievements in this period are excerpted from the report below:

Programmes: Much has been achieved in the recent five years—the most significant of which are the ways in which ARROW’s information and knowledge products, as well as focused capacity-building activities, have helped local communities and national partners to take their own small, but essential steps towards making the necessary changes in their everyday life situations.

Partnerships: ARROW’s tenacious work of building partnerships under WHRAP and other modalities expanded in the previous five-year period. This was a source of excitement and inspiration.

Organisational development: Not only the results and achievements of the programmes, but also the manner in which ARROW has thoughtfully and conscientiously attempted to anchor her management and administrative procedures in principled policies for an exemplary and competitive work compensations and benefits for staff, has won her acclaim among colleague organisations and working partners.

DOCUMENTING GOOD PRACTICES

ARROW believes that investing in organisational development is essential for building and sustaining effective advocacy


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organisations. With shrinking funding for core organisational work, it is even more imperative to strengthen systems and organisations that will not only address present critical issues within SRHR, but also prevent the recurrence of this problem in the medium,as well as long-term. Over the years, ARROW has received many requests from NGOs within the Asian-Pacific region and beyond to share our tools and learning. With the need to respond more fully and widely to the needs, the ARROW Board of Directors embarked on conceptualising a initiative to document and share ARROW’s organisational practices.

The ARROW Resource Kit for Women’s NGOs that strengthens leadership and management of organisations in the Region (ARK) is seen as a tool that will contribute towards ARROW’s long-term objective of strengthening women NGOs and the women’s movement. The initiative is aimed to document stories, experiences, lessons learned and tools of ARROW on leadership and organisational management through the development of a resource kit that supports and strengthens effective and sustainable women’s organisations within a social justice framework.

In November 2011, the Board held a meeting about the ARK, and made considerable progress. At the meeting, participants discussed plans for implementation, considered the draft outline of the proposed publication, developed a budget and timeline for the initiative, and set up an ARK steering committee. Substantial work is expected to be done in 2012 and funds to be raised for the same. The plan is to have the resource kit ready in time for ARROW’s 20th anniversary in 2013.

RITA RAJ WOMEN’S SPACE

In 2011, the Rita Raj Women’s Space, as well as other ARROW spaces, continued to provide a comfortable meeting environment for local activists and women’s organisations at reduced costs. There were 14 events involving 139 people, organised by four organisations. These included the Neuro-Linguistic Programming

Community Cafe, Can Survive,Committee for Asian Women (CAW) and the Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM).

LEADERSHIP, GOVERNANCE AND STRATEGIC AND PROGRAMMATIC ADVICE

Executive Director Transitions: ARROW has had able and committed leadership throughout its 19 years of existence. After a recruitment process, Sivananthi Thanenthiran, who was formerly the Programme Manager for Infocom and Research, became the third Executive Director and began her tenure in January 2012. She replaced Saira Shameem who ably led ARROW for seven years after founder Rashidah Abdullah, and has now moved on to UNFPA. The transition happened smoothly, and the new ED enjoys the support of ARROW staff, Board and partners.

Board of Directors: ARROW’s governing body, the Board, consists of very committed members with experience in leading women’s organisations across the region. In 2011, the Board of Directors held four meetings—in February, May, September and November—as well as an Annual General Membership Meeting. On average, four of five Board members attended each meeting, indicating the high commitment of the members.

While the Board meetings held in May and November were the scheduled ones, the one held in September specifically focused on the finalisation of the recruitment of the incoming Executive Director, as well as the discussions with the external evaluators on methodology and process of ARROW’s 2011 External Evaluation. Amongst others, the Board discussed and approved the 2010 Annual Report, looked into the finances and audit report, approved the Executive Director’s work-plan for the remaining parts of 2011 and discussed the transition of the Executive Director. In terms of policy and strategic direction, they reviewed the ARROW Strategic Plan 2011-2016, discussed the salary review and the external evaluation for the organisation, and also selected a new Board member.

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As per the legal requirements of ARROW’s registration in Malaysia, the Annual General Meeting was convened, where the Board approved and adopted the organisation’s 2010 financial statement report.

There were some movements in the composition of the ARROW Board of Directors in 2011. Three Board members, Susanna George and Junice Melgar in April 2011 and M. Prakasamma in October 2011, moved out. Maria Chin Abdullah and Khawar Mumtaz began their terms at the May 2011 Board meeting. The Board has also agreed to invite Sunila Abeysekera to replace M. Prakasamma. For the full Board composition, see Who We Are.

Programme Advisory Committee (PAC): ARROW has a 10-member Programme Advisory Committee consisting of experts and activists on SRHR from across the region. ARROW’s PAC meeting was successfully held in Manila in May 2011. The feedback given on the draft ARROW Strategic Plan was very useful and precise, as well as the comments on the ARROW’s 2010 annual report. The PAC greatly appreciated the detailed Annual Report from ARROW and found the work of the organisation and the performance of the staff to be impressive.

In 2011, three PAC members ended their term. New PAC members were identified and recommended by staff members to the Board during the May 2011 Board meeting. These are Norhayati Kaprawi, an activist and independent director and producer from Malaysia, and Rishita Nandagiri, Communications and Youth Affairs Officer of the Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) India, both of whom will begin their terms in May 2012. For the full PAC composition, see Who We Are.

ADMINISTRATION AND STAFF AND PARTNERS’ DEVELOPMENT

Administrative Processes: ARROW is guided by the Management and Administrative Policies and Procedures (MAPP), a manual that is updated annually. In 2011, an Anti-

Corruption Policy and an Occupational Safety and Health Administration policy were drafted and will be finalised in the next Board meeting in May 2012.

Team Building: Based on past experience, the staff had decided to hold ARROW’s Annual Team Building event at a partner’s location so that the staff can use the opportunity to better understand the work of partners within their communities, and at the national level. In May 2011, the teambuilding event was held in Manila, the Philippines, where ARROW’s long-term partner, Likhaan, is based. ARROW staff benefited greatly and learnt much from the visits to two of Likhaan’s communities, health service centres, and two tertiary hospitals, as well as meeting community workers and youth activists who have been implementing the joint initiatives coordinated with ARROW. At the same time, exercises enabled ARROW staff to get to know each other better, for a more cohesive team.

Partners’ Organisational Development: Technical and capacity building support related to organisation development to partners continued in 2011. In 2010, ARROW’s finance and programme teams organised meetings with relevant finance officers and programme officers of our national partners. These meetings aimed to train project staff on financial and narrative reporting standards and project monitoring processes. In 2011, another finance management meeting was held in January for the WHRAP-SEA partners. Additionally, throughout the year, continued post-training support was provided through emails and calls to support partners in their financial and narrative reporting. Country monitoring visits to our WHRAP partners are also done to provide additional support.

ARROW’S GRANTS AND FINANCE

Financial Management: The third quarter of 2011 marked an important watershed in ARROW’s financial management and accountability systems. Henrietta Ravn, former Financial Controller at Action Aid Denmark, was brought in as a consultant volunteer to help ARROW improve the analytical


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components of its reporting formats; to enable better and more strategic information sharing with the Board and donors on the financial health status. The Board has agreed to approve the new format for future use.

Grants: In a funding environment where donors increasingly provide only project funding to NGOs, Sida’s long-term support to ARROW’s overall strategic plan is extremely vital to SRHR work in the Asia and Pacific region and globally, as well as to ARROW’s sustainability. It enables ARROW to work in cooperation with other donor partners, and to achieve the results in all ARROW’s areas of work.

In the year 2011, ARROW received grants amounting to RM4,799,479 (USD1,573,560), representing 99% of the total income (grants and other income) of RM4,812,100 (USD1,577,737). This was 24.9% higher than the RM3,842,828 (USD1,259,943) received for grants in 2010.

The 2011 grant highlights are described below:

• Sida’s five-year core organisational funding (January 2008-December 2012) continued supporting ARROW’s programme and institutional costs. Sida’s grant of SEK8.5 million (USD230,385) in 2011 constitutes 14% of the total income.

• In 2011, Oxfam Novib contributed a total of EUR270,000 (USD351,000) towards the WHRAP-South East Asia and Mekong Initiative, “Linking Gender, Rights and Young People’s SRHR.” Additionally, EUR50,000 (USD65,000) was approved by Oxfam Novib in July 2011 as a supplementary grant to ARROW for the WHRAP-SEA initiative which aims to build the capacities of the community organisations. Oxfam Novib support constitutes 28% of the total income in 2011.

• In 2011, a total grant of RM 406,800 (USD135,000) was received from Ford Foundation as part of implementing the initiative on regional monitoring of and advocacy to promote implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action (March 2010-February 2012).The Ford Foundation support constitutes 25% of the total income.

• The Danida grant continued funding for the implementation of the programme on the WHRAP-South Asia in four South-Asian countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan). In 2011, DKK 556,826 (USD105,160) was received for the Bridging Period of the WHRAP South Asia initiative that began on October 2010 and ended on June 2011. DKK 11,305,000 (USD2.1 million) was approved by Danida in October 2010 for WHRAP-South Asia Phase III (July 2011 until June 2014), which will cover the existing four South Asian countries and four more countries (Afghanistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Sri Lanka). Danida constitutes 25% of the total income in 2011.

• In May 2011, the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF) approved a grant of USD75,000 for the conduct of a satellite session at the 6th APCRSHR and producing and disseminating a publication on the critical linkages between diabetes and sexual and reproductive health in Asia and the Pacific region. This comprised 5% of the total income.

• A total grant of USD36,000 (2% of total income) was approved by the UNFPA APRO Bangkok, for the publication of an ARROWs for Change on gender-based violence and SRHR, and for organising a satellite session at the 6th APCRSHR.

• A total grant of EUR 100,000 (USD130,000) was approved by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in July 2011 for organising a regional meeting on sexual and reproductive health and rights for the initiative period September 2011 to August 2012.Of this, USD13,000 was allocated for 2011, comprising 1% of ARROW’s total income.

• An additional RM12,622 (USD4,140 or 0.3% of the total income) came from ARROW’s own income from donations and information services. In addition, funds were available for expenditure in 2011 from balances carried forward from funds received in 2010 (RM1,405,444 or USD468,481). Thus the total ARROW income available for 2011 was RM 6,217,545 (USD2,038,540).

This apart, a total of RM 118,035 (USD38,700) was received by ARROW on behalf of the Reproductive Rights Advocacy

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Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM), a Malaysian organisation formed in February 2007 by individuals and organisations committed to ensuring that all women have access to affordable contraception and safe and legal abortion. RRAAM activities were funded by Ipas and Empower (Malaysia).

ARROW Expenditure: In 2011, ARROW’s total expenditure amounted to RM5,549,542 (USD1,819,522), compared to RM4,850,879 (USD1,590,452) in 2010. This represents a 14.4% increase.

The expenditures of ARROW reflect the expenditures within the four work programme objectives of ARROW’s Strategic Plan. It should be noted that beginning in 2011, the expenditures of the personnel cost will be shown within the different objectives (this was reflected in a separate budget line in 2010 and earlier). This reflects a strategic change in how we value the input from people as intrinsically needed to be able to achieve programmatic results. Figure 4 below shows how expenses are divided in 2011, while Table 4 provides more details.

Novib 28%Danida 25%

Ford Foundation 25%

Sida 14%

Other 0.3%

UNFPA 2%

World Diabetes Foundation 5%

GIZ 1%

Source: Audit Report 2011

Figure 3. ARROW Income in 2011


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Source: Audit Report 2011

Obj 3: WHRAP50%

Obj 4: Organisational Development 8%

Obj 2: Evidence based Monitoring 18%

Institution, Coordination & Overhead 14%

Obj 1: Information & Communications 10%

Figure 4. ARROW’s Expenditure 2011

Table 4. ARROW Expenditure for 2011

Particulars Actual Cost Year 2011

% to total cost

Allocation

ARROW Partners

Programme Costs

Obj. 1: Information & Communications for Change 573,054 10% 573,054 -

Obj. 2: Evidence-based Monitoring 1,006,751 18% 750,651 256,100

Obj. 3: WHRAP 2,797,364 50% 1,248,987 1,548,377

Obj. 4: Organisational Development 416,723 8% 416,723 -

Institutional, Governance & Overhead 755,650 14% 755,650 -

TOTAL EXPENSES

5,549,542

100%

3,745,065 1,804,477

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ARROW’s first objective of the Strategic Plan, `Information and Communications for Change,’ comprised 10% of the year’s total expenditure. Monitoring and Research for Advocacy, the 2nd objective of the strategic plan, represents 18% of ARROW’s total expenditure during the year. Amongst others, expenditures for this objective cover holding a global planning meeting on the Global South initiative. ARROW’s 3rd objective of the Strategic Plan, `Building

and Strengthening Partnerships for Advocacy,‘through the WHRAP modality, comprises the largest percentage: 50% of the total expenditure. The 4th objective, which is the institutional building and organisational development, represents 8% of the total expenditure. The expenses under this objective include programme development/planning, coordination and evaluation, including the Programme Advisory Committee meeting.

Table 5. ARROW’s Financial Overview for the Years 2011 and 2010

(in RM) 2011 2010Variance

within the 2 years (%)

Income

Balance of grants from previous year, c/f 1,405,444 1,190,510 18.1%

Total grants received during the year 4,786,423 3,842,828 24.6%

Other income 12,621 38,071 -66.8%

Total available income 6,204,488 5,071,409 22.3%

Expenditure

Objective 1: Information & Communication 237,820 256,095 -7.1%

Objective 2: Evidence-based Monitoring 708,705 867,270 -18.3%

Objective 3: WHRAP 2,326,076 1,511,687 53.9%

Objective 4: Organisational Development 174,468 191,746 -9.0%

Institutional, Governance & Overhead 443,816 403,395 10.0%

Personnel Costs for:

Objective 1 335,234

Objective 2 298,046

Objective 3 471,288

Objective 4 242,255

Institutional, Governance & Overhead 311,834

Total Personnel 1,658,657 1,620,686 2.3%

Total Expenditure 5,549,542 4,850,879 14.4%

Net Result 654,946 220,530

(exchange rate 1USD: RM3.05)


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During the year, ARROW’s coordination and overhead costs represents 14% of the total expenditure. This covers the cost ARROW holds to keep a legal entity in Malaysia and the governance of ARROW, such as Board meetings, compulsory company secretary and external auditors.

It should be noted that a significant 32.5% of the total ARROW budget goes to partners.

Table 5 shows the comparison of ARROW’s income and expenditure at the end of 2011 and 2010. Infocom expenses in 2011 was slightly lower than for 2010 (7.1% lower) due to cutting back on some of the paid activities. Compared with 2010, expenses in Objective 2 for 2011 saw a 18.3% decrease. This was largely because the first phase of the ICPD+15 initiative involved activities of country partners in 12 Asian countries, whereas 2011 saw consolidation of activities and inputs at the sub-regional level and regional levels. Meanwhile the increase in WHRAP was due to planned expansion to include Afghanistan, Bhutan, Burma, Maldives and Sri Lanka.

WAY FORWARD

In 2011, ARROW took another stride forward towards its mission and goals. It continued to invest in organisational development, including key improvements in ARROW’s financial system, development of strategic plan draft and along the way adding credibility and trust by conducting ARROW’s external evaluation. During this period, ARROW’s committed leadership remained a source of strength.

A smooth transition of position and responsibility between the second Executive Director Saira Shameem, and the third Executive Director Sivananthi Thanenthiran speaks volumes about our organisational strength and good practices. ARROW’s Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) consisting of SRHR experts from the region continue to help keep us on track and relevant to the needs of the region and the demands of the global advocacy arena. The ARROW staff members also continue to be assets to the organisation, with minimal turn over. Their high energy, competence, excellence and commitment to their work create a positive work environment. We are also very fortunate to work in partnership with inspiring people and organisations across the region.

Leveraging on all of these, in 2012, we will continue improving on our processes and systems for organisational sustainability. We will develop ARROW’s ‘green’ policy, finalise the workplace safety and health policy and implement the anti-corruption policy.

The new financial management system, which will also include an accounting package and reporting formats to donors, will be put in place by April 2012. Going forward, we will also do significant work on the ARROW Resource Kit in 2012 for its launch in the anniversary year in 2013. We will also finalise our strategic plan for the next five years,our new roadmap for achieving ARROW’s objectives in the next phase. All these are part of our preparations for celebrating ARROW’s 20 years of setting in change for women and young people in the region and beyond.

WHRAP SEA Phase II Planning MeetingSource: ARROW Photobank

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Former and Current Executive Directors : (From left to right: Saira Shameem, Sivananthi Thanenthiran, Rashidah Abdullah) Source: ARROW Photobank

ARROW team in Manila during ARROW’s 2011 Team Building.Source: ARROW Photobank


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Who Supports Us OUR INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL PARTNERS IN 2011• Africa: World YWCA• Eastern Europe: ASTRA Network• Latin America and the Caribbean: Latin American and

Caribbean Women’s Health Network (LACWHN)• Middle East and North Africa: Egyptian Initiative for

Personal Rights (EIPR)• North America: Catholics for Choice (CFC)• Europe: Danish Family Planning Association (DFPA)

OUR COUNTRY PARTNERS AND THEIR LOCAL CIVIL SOCIETY PARTNERS IN 2011

• Bangladesh: Adorsho Mohila Shongstha; Annesha Samaj Sheba Shongho; Artha-Shamajik Shikkha Sanskritic Unnayon Sangstha (ASECED); Barisal Mohila Kollayan Shongstha; Children and Youth Development Organisation (SYDO); Community Based Development Project (CBDP); Development of Economical & Social Centre (DESC); Dr. Dheeran Shikder Foundation (DDS); Jago Nari; Integrated Social Welfare Association (ISWA); Naripokkho; Nazrul Shriti Shongshod (NSS); Patuakhali Development Organisation (PDO); Porag Nari Kollayan Shonghstha; Shangkalpa Trust; Shaplaful Social Development Organisation (SSDO); Shuktara Mohila Shongstha

• Burma: Burma Medical Association; Migrants Assistance Programme (MAP) Foundation; Myanmar Positive Women Network (MPWN)

• Cambodia: Action for Health, Agir Pour les Femmes En Situation Precaire, Angkor Hospital for Children, Buddhism for Development, Cambodia Women’s Crisis Centre, Cambodian Women for Peace and Development, Cooperation for a Sustainable for Cambodian Society, Making a Difference for Good, Men’s Health Cambodia, Minority Organisation for Development of Economy, New Hope Cambodia, Partners for Health and Development, Partnership for Development in Kampuchea, Phnom Srey Organisation for Development, Reproductive and Child Health Alliance, Reproductive Health Association of Cambodia (RHAC), Salvation Centre Cambodia, Supporters for Mental Health, The Lake Clinic-Cambodia

ARROW warmly thanks everyone who supported our work, extended solidarity and friendship, and shared a common commitment to enhancing women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.

ARROW’S DONORS IN 2011• Danish International Development Agency (Danida),

through the Danish Family Planning Association (Danish FPA)

• Deutsche Gesellschaftfur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

• The Ford Foundation• Netherlands Organisation for International Development

Cooperation (Oxfam Novib)• Population Action International (PAI)• Swedish International Development Agency (Sida)• United Nations Population Fund – Asia Pacific Regional

Office (UNFPA APRO)• World Diabetes Foundation (WDF)

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Pacifc Island Girls. Source: From the photostream of Graham Crumb (Flickr , Creative Commons)


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• China: Beijing Zhongze Women’s Legal Counselling and Service Centre (formerly Beijing Women’s Law Studies and Legal Aid Centre); Heilongjiang Women’s Federation; Shanghai Women’s Health Care Institute; Yunnan Health and Development Research Association (YHDRA)

• India: Academy for Nursing Studies and Women’s Empowerment Research Studies (ANS-WERS); Ahmedabad Women’s Action Group (AWAG); Akhil Bhartiya Gramin Uthan Samiti; Association for Sarva Seva Farms (ASSEFA); Astitva Samajik Sansthan; Baba RamKaran Das Gramin Vikas Samiti; Centre for Health and Social Justice (CHSJ); Centre for Health Education, Training and Nutrition Awareness (CHETNA); Ebteda Sansthan; Gramin Punar Nirman Sansthan; Gramya Sansthan; Janpath Network; Jan Shiksha Evam Vikas Sangathan; Jatan Sansthan; Navachar Sansthan; Rural Women’s Social Education Centre (RUWSEC); SAHAYOG; Social Action for Rural and Tribal Inhabitants of India (SARTHI); Shikhar Prashikshan Sansthan; Tarun Vikas Sansthan; Yoganjali Kelwani Mandal

• Indonesia: Aliansi Remaja Independen, Centra Mitra Muda, Global Citizen Corps, Ikatan Remaja Muhammadiyah, Ikatan Remaja Muhammadiyah Padang, Indonesia Youth Conference, Mitra Inti, Palang Merah Indonesia, Perkumpulan Keluarga Berencana Indonesia Padang, Women’s Health Foundation (YKP), Yayasan Bandungwangi, Yayasan Jurnal Perempuan (Women’s Journal Foundation or YJP), Yayasan Kusuma Bongas

• Lao PDR: Faculty of Postgraduate Sciences, National University of Laos; Lao Youth Union; Lao Women’s Union; Norwegian Church Aid

• Malaysia: Federation of Reproductive Health Associations of Malaysia (FHRAM); Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM)

• Nepal: Ashmita Nepal; Beyond Beijing Committee (BBC); Child Society Nepal (CS Nepal); Himalayan Human Rights Monitors (HimRights) – Makawanpur; Rural Institution for Community Development (RICOD); Women Skill Creation Centre (WOSCC); Youth Welfare Society - Makawanpur

• Pakistan: Alshahbaz Social Welfare Association, Saath Development Society, Sawani Saanjh, Shirkat Gah

Women’s Resource Centre, Umeed Welfare Society• The Philippines: Likhaan Centre for Women’s Health;

Reproductive Health Rights and Ethics Centre for Studies and Training (ReproCen) of the University of the Philippines

• Sri Lanka: Women’s Media Collective• Thailand: The Southeast Asian Consortium on Gender,

Sexuality and Health• Tonga: Women and Children’s Crises Centre• Vietnam: Central Enterprise Youth Union,Centre for

Creative Initiatives in Health and Population (CCIHP); Family Health Research and Development Centre (FHRD); Institute for Reproductive and Family Health (RHAF); Research Centre for Gender, Family and Development (CGFED); Vietnam Youth Federation

NETWORKS AND STEERING COMMITTEES THAT ARROW IS A MEMBER OF

• 6th Asia Pacific Conference on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (APCRSHR) International Steering Committee

• Asia Pacific Women’s Watch (APWW)• Asian Rural Women’s Coalition (ARWC)• Asia Safe Abortion Partnership (ASAP)• Coalition for Sexual and Bodily Rights in Muslim Societies

(CSBR)• Global Interfaith and Secular Alliance: Working for

Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights (GISA) • Repoliticising Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Group• Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM)• Strategies from the South Initiative• Women’s Global Network for Reproductive Rights

(WGNRR)

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WHRAP SA team at the end of the year meetings (14-19 Decmber 2011, Kathmandu, Nepal)

Source: Nalini Singh (ARROW Photobank)

WHRAP China Project Avisory Member Mr. Wang Jiaqi from Heilongjiang Population and Family Planning Commission making a presentation at the Workshop on Measuring MDG-SRHR Progress and Development for Chinese Migrant Women (21 March 2011, Beijing, China)Source: Nalini Singh (ARROW Photobank)


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Who We Are PROGRAMME ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR 2011• Hoang Tu Anh, Director, Consultation of Investment in

Health Promotion (CIHP), Vietnam• Khawar Mumtaz, Chief Executive Officer, Shirkat Gah

Women’s Resource Centre, Pakistan (until April 2011)• Naeemah Khan, former Programme Manager, Fiji

Women’s Rights Movement (FWRM), Fiji• Neha Sood, Consultant and Youth Coalition Member, India

(until April 2011)• Ouk Vong Vathiny, Executive Director, Reproductive

Health Association (RHAC), Cambodia • Pimpawun Boomongkon, Executive Director, South East

Asian Consortium on Gender, Sexuality and Health; Associate Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Mahidol University, Thailand

• Ranjani Krishnamurthy, Independent Consultant, India (until April 2011)

• Zhang Kaining, Director, Yunnan Health and Development Research Association (YHDRA), China

STAFF 2011

Full-time Staff• Ambika Varma, Programme Officer, IDC• Biplabi Shrestha, Programme Officer, WHRAP-South Asia• Leong Mee Nan ‘Meiyun,’ Finance Officer• Mary Fernandez, Administration Officer (April-July 2011)• Maria Melinda ‘Malyn’ Ando, Programme Officer, AFC• Mei Li, Programme Officer, WHRAP-China (until June 2011)• Nalini Singh, Programme Manager, Advocacy & Capacity

Building• Nor Azurah Zakaria, Assistant Administration Officer• Norlela Shahrani, Administration & Finance Manager• Rosnani Hitam, Executive Assistant• Sai Jyothirmai Racherla, Programme Officer, ICPD• Saira Shameem, Executive Director (until November 2011)• Shama Dossa, WHRAP South Asia Advocacy Officer• Sivananthi Thanenthiran, Programme Manager,

Information, Communications& Research • Suloshini Jahanath, Programme Officer, Website

BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR 2011• M. Prakasamma, Director, Academy for Nursing Studies

and Women’s Empowerment, India (until September 2011)• Ninuk Widyantoro, Chair, Advisory Board, Yayasan

Kesehatan Perempuan, Indonesia• Rashidah Abdullah, Co-founder and former Executive

Director, ARROW; Co-chair of the Reproductive Rights Advocacy Alliance Malaysia (RRAAM), Malaysia

• Maria Chin Abdullah, Executive Director, Empower, & Steering Committee Member, Bersih 2.0, Malaysia (from May 2011)

• Khawar Mumtaz, Chief Executive Officer, Shirkat Gah Women’s Resource Centre, Pakistan (from May 2011)

• Sunila Abeysekera, Independent Consultant and Human Rights Defender, Sri Lanka (from October 2011)

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• Suzana Abu Samah, Assistant Administration Officer• Uma Thiruvengadam, Assistant Programme Officer, IDC

Contract staff• Malikka a/p Karuppaiah, Office Maintenance Staff

INFOCOM TASK FORCEDi Surgey, Indu Capoor, Jac sm Kee, Khawar Mumtaz and Susanna George

CONSULTANTS, CONTRIBUTORS AND EXTERNAL EXPERTS FOR

VARIOUS INITIATIVES IN 2011

PaidARROWs for Change: Atashendartini Habsjah, Carolina S. Ruiz-Austria, Chona Lobitaña, Dina M. Siddiqi, Elizabeth Buizon,Farhanah, Ilaisa Lepolo Mahe Taunisila, Junice D. Melgar, Khawar Mumtaz, Kurnia Wijiastuti, Likhaan Centre for Women’s Health, Lina Bacalando, Margaret Chung, Marina Durano, Nandita Bhatla, Ofa-Ki-Levuka Louise Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Pranita Achyut, Ravi Verma, Rochit Tañedo, Sharuna Verghis, Shobha Raghuram, Shubhada Maitra, Sujata Khandekar, Sunila Abeysekera, Vanphanom Sychareun, Women’s and Children’s Crisis Centre (WCCC), Women’s Health Foundation, Yang Yanhua, Yunnan Health and Development Research Association (YHDRA)Global South Project: Dr. T.K. Sundari Ravindran and Jason Tan Z KiatICPD+15 Project: Dr. T.K. Sundari Ravindran, Dr. Marilen J. Danguilan, Romeo Arca, Maya Indira Ganesh, Dr. Shalini Teresa Fernandez, Charity Yang, Azahar bin Ahmad Nizar, Dr. Sylvia Estrada-Claudio, Dr. Ouk Vong Vathiny, Dr. Vanphanom Sychareun, Khawar Mumtaz, Anu Nair, Shalini Kaliyath, Philip Martin, Shahina Hanif, V R Muraleedharan and Ranjani K Murthy.Organisational Development: Chew Lin Choo, Eva Maaten, Mary Jane Real and Philip WongWHRAP South Asia: Dr. Bina Pradhan, Humaida Abdulghafoor, Information Monitor (INFORM) - Sri Lanka, Jashodhara Das Gupta, Kirti Thapa, Kumudini Samuel, Dr. Lakshmen

Senanayake, Malaysiakini – Malaysia, Mojgan Samuel, Renu Warnasuriya,Sunila Abeysekera, Tabasum Akseer, Dr. Tandi Dorji, Zehra Yasmin ZaidiWHRAP China: China Population and Development Research Centre (CPDRC), the China Women’s University (CWU) and Yunnan Health and Development Association (YHDRA)WHRAP SEA: Arushi Singh, Htat-Htat, Ishita Sharma, Maesy Angelina, Rishita NandagiriWomen, SRHR and NCDs: Dr. Narimah Awin, Dr. Anil Kapur, Dr. Jessica Ona-Cruz, Dr. Hoang Tu Anh, Rashidah Abdullah, Dr. Saramma Thomas Mathai, Junice Melgar, Hanne Strandgaard, Dr. Shalini Teresea Fernandez, Politeia Kody

VoluntaryARROWs for Change: Adrienne Germain, Aizhamal Bakashova, Alexandra Garita, Babu Ram Gautam, Bela Ganatra, Bushra Khaliq, Eileen Pittaway, Elizabeth Pangalangan, Hoang Tu Anh,Ireen Dubel, Farida Shaheed, Jackson Tung, Jane Koziol-McLain, Jacqueline Pitanguy, Joanna Spratt, Junice Melgar, Kajal Bhardwaj, Kausar Khan, Keya Saha-Chaudhury, Khawar Mumtaz, Lakshmen Senanayake, Luo Chun, Maesy Angelina, Maha Muna, Manisha Desai, Naeemah Khan, Neha Sood, Niramonh Chanlivong, Noelene Nabulivou, Rashidah Abdullah, Raz Mohammad Dalili, Rishita Nandagiri, Rokeya Kabir, Romelyn April P. Imperio, Rosalia Sciortino, Shaurabha Subedi, Shi Zhenli, Dr. T.K Sundari Ravindran, Vanessa Griffen, Wame Baravilala, Yuan Feng, Zhang Kaining ICPD+15 Project: Dr. Siriwan Grisurapong, Dr. Pimpawun Boonmongkon, Xie Zhenming, Cai Zhenhua, Zhao Pengfei, Tong Jiyu, Li Jianhua, Luo Chun,Organisational Development: Henriette RavnWHRAP SEA: Liping Mian, Milinda Rajapaksha, Nancy Zhang, Rinaldi Ridwan Women, SRHR and NCDs: Brett Jordan, Erik Kjaergaard, William KeenePhotos: the photostream of Babasteve and Graham Crumb (Flickr, Creative Commons)

VENDORSAl-Zam Sdn. Bhd., Company Secretary


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Grand Lotus Travel Agencies, Travel servicesANS Resources Enterprise, Stationary supplierCatony, Promotional materials developerGood Point Enterprise, Air conditioner contractorHeway and DHL, Mailing servicesJason Tan Z Kiat and Ken Chong, IT technical supportSaman Sarip, Transportation servicesFazli Fadzil, Office maintenance contractorMac Nogas Sdn. Bhd., Printing servicesMaybank KL Sentral, Banking servicesMegah Media Suppy, Toner supplierNand Digital Corporation Sdn. Bhd., DVD design and animationNation Avenue Sdn. Bhd., Money ChangerNet on Board Sdn. Bhd., Web hosting servicesPatricia Kong and ERA Agencies, Insurance servicesS. Syed Ibrahim, Newspaper delivery servicesSJ Grant Thornton, Chartered Accountants /External AuditorsSunil Vijayan, Legal advice servicesTun Muhammad Ali Jinnah Basir, Promotional materials development and publications designWong Kum Fatt, Ng Ah Meng Sdn Bhd, Landlord

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Woman from Kazakhstan.Source: From the photostream of Babasteve(Flickr, Creative

Commons)

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the asian-pacific resource and research centre for women(ARROW)

1 & 2 Jalan Scott, Brickfields 50470 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

tel +603 2273 9913/4fax +603 2273 9916email [email protected] www.arrow.org.myFacebook The Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women (ARROW)

championing women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights

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